


Game of Fate

by LunatheArmyHead



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Ambiguous Characters, Angst, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Mystery, Painting, Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Ravenclaw Harry Potter, Temporary Character Death, no beta we die like men, slowest of slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28028718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunatheArmyHead/pseuds/LunatheArmyHead
Summary: Thrust into the new world of magic after years of living with his muggle relatives, Harry Potter views this new part of himself with morbid curiosity and fascination. Unbeknown to him the Wizarding Society thrives with prejudices of blood supremacy and a strong ladder of power.Stuck in the vicious and unpredictable maze of secrets and doubts, Harry has to walk every turn and corners with quiet and quick steps; less if anyone catches him.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Comments: 16
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first time writing and I am really excited to share this story with you all. I must say I was reluctant to post this story but I thought if not now then when will be the next time I will be able to share this? So here I am. I was really inspired by MayMarlow's The Train to Nowhere and it inspired me to just write this story which was in my mind for quite sometime. If you all find similarities between the two stories then it was clearly unintentional.
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcomed but don't be too harsh as it may crush my spirits of writing a good story.  
> I am not a native speaker and the grammar may suck a bit.
> 
> Disclaimer- I don't own the beautiful Harry Potter Universe and it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
> 
> Now please enjoy! :-)

The blazing heat of the fiendfyre made James shout out in pure agony. The bright red and orange snake flickered out its tongue and rushed toward him. James staggers in his place before jumping out of the snake’s path. The sudden movement caused his left side of the body to burn with searing hot white pain. He quickly ducked into the nearby some fallen rumbles and lifted his left arm to see black scorch marks with blood oozing out of the several cuts. He knew his face was also burned out due to the earlier fire. James stopped inspecting his injures and looked around him.

The entirety of the muggle village has been destroyed. Crushed bodies of many muggles trapped inside the broken rumbles. Many of his partners, who were assigned for the mission to capture the many hiding death eaters, alongside him were either dead or looked close to exhaustion. James himself was not faring well.

Earlier the week, someone had given them the information that death eaters were residing in some muggle village and so Dumbledore had went out of his way and for the first time ever announced a raid. Perhaps it was the desperation. Or maybe, the lack of ideas that made Dumbledore make such a rash decision. Because never before had Dumbledore ever called out a raid of all things against the death eaters and nonetheless, near muggle vicinity. Maybe the large mass support of many pureblood families for Voldemort and his rapid conquer of places outside of England was finally dawning to the old man and the severity of all. Well, James could not be able to tell you because he himself was in loss of what made the old professor think a raid; of all things was the best course to approach the situation.

It has nearly been a week and James was getting tired of the continuous fighting. They were somewhere in the outskirts of France but if you had to ask James about it; he could solely shrug at you because geography for James was of no importance. Fighting in this damp area for nearly a week and James knew from the things of it all that they would lose. And badly at that.

When it was clear that victory was far from them this time around, Mad-Eye Moody had asked them to evacuate the place, only for them to remember that anti-apparition wards were set in the area. So from all this James eventually came to the glorious conclusion that this whole information about death eaters was fluke. It was nothing but a very beautifully laid out plan to trap the order members.

“ _Bombarda!!”_

James startled out and just about leaps out from behind the rocks when a red light hits him. James wailed out. Every fiber of his being was burning with white hot pain. And the scream that tore out of his throat, even to him sounded inhuman. It felt like an eternity before the spell was lifted up and James huffed. His lungs burned with the effort to breath. Everything was a white noise. Everything felt a little disoriented. He saw another yellow light come towards his way. With the lingering pain from the previous spell, James feels nothing of sort expect for the warm flow of something around his neck before darkness loams over him and pushes him to a sleep of eternity, with the last thoughts of his wife and one year old son.

_________________________

Two cloaked men and one woman suddenly appeared out of thin mist in the silent night of February in a muggle town-Surrey. It was a harsh and a frosty night with cold air swinging and biting to any one awaken and out of house. The three hissed at the assault the chilling weather was giving them. One of them took out a wand and moved it around, warming their cold bodies. The woman sighed out, “Do you really think we have to do such a thing?”

A soft sniffling sound made them look down at the bundle of blankets within which a three year old boy was looking at them with glassy green eyes, lips forming a pout. The woman quickly cradled his head and started to softly caress his unruly hair, humming under her breathe. The boy whined but a moment later he snuggled the woman and fell asleep. The woman kept rocking him back and forth while still humming until she heard his even breathing. She looked at the two men and asked, “Really why leave him here?”

The man wearing pale red robes with horn-rimmed glasses spoke with an exasperated voice, “You know what had happened, Riana. If he were to be with us, the Death Eaters will know something is wrong and if they start searching things will go haywire. Don’t want that now, do you?”

“He is right you know?” chimed the other man who was in black attire from top to bottom. Jon Hilton. “We all will be thrown in Azkaban and have to live with seeing only Dementors. Crazy we will be.” All of them shuddered. “Moreover I agree with what Kent said. It is not worth the risk and the Potters are at fault of what happened. Never thought I could see what I saw. And be thankful that the Death Eaters and Aurors both are busy in the France borderline or else all the Order members could have been doomed to a worst fate. ”

Kent nodded. “Merlin I will deposit those memories in the pensieve and never ever go near them. That was awful.” A pause. “But now 4 Privet Drive is our priority after that with a glass of firewhiskey we will forget those memories.”

Riana sighed, resigned with the fate the boy has to face. “Yeah let’s go.”

Quietly they surveyed the area before walking to the whitewashed house of the muggles in 4 Privet Drive. Riana tightened her hold of the child and sniffled silently. Both Kent and Jon watched her with sympathy; both looking sad but they knew they had to give away the child to grow up in a different environment. Not in the corrupted society of theirs.

“Well”, Kent spoke up, “We have to get away from here before someone sees us.”

Riana nodded and with much difficulty detached herself from the boy. She retrieved her wand and a leather cloth which she transfigured into a small basket and placed the boy there. Jon moved forward and gingerly dropped the letter on top of the bundle. The three year old boy unaware of his fate, shifted to his side, fisting his hands as dreams swung his mind. “Let’s go.”They all turned and with an almost inaudible _‘pop’_ disappeared into the cold night of February.

Next morning Mrs. Dursley opened the door to see the bundled up toddler sleeping. She had no idea how but she knew the child was Harry Potter, son of Lily Potter-her sister and James Potter. With shaking hands she took the child inside, her face white as a sheet as she entered the kitchen. Vernon Dursley was reading the newspaper when he looked up to see the bundle. His eyes widen to the size of saucers, face losing all the color. “You don’t reckon…..” He trailed off.

Petunia just nodded her head and took the seat opposite her husband. Pulling out the envelope from her apron, she broke the seal and took out the thick paper.

-/////-

_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

_We are leaving young Harry Potter in your care. Due to unprecedented events Lily Potter has being claimed unfit for raising her child as we speculate the absences of her husband has greatly affected her and has blinded her with grievances._

_We hope she will make steady recovery with time and will be able to take care of Harry but for the unforeseeable future he is being left in your care._

_We hope you and your family have a healthy and prosperous life._

_-/////-_

_____________________________

“What do you think you are doing boy?!” The booming voice of his aunt interrupted the young boy from making his way out of the house quietly.

The boy flinched due to the loud and shrill voice and fearfully looked behind his back. Aunt Petunia was standing in the threshold of the store room, a look of pure disdain apparent on her horse-like face. The boy shuffled from one foot to another. With an almost inaudible voice he spoke up, “I-I….um…..I was going to the basement to find a screw driver to fix the toy car that broke last week.”

With a pinched expression Petunia turned on her heels and went inside. Before closing the door she yelled back, “If you are going then you better mend the flowers on the garden!!”

The boy merely nodded his head and quickly rushed outside the house. With the necessary equipment with him, the seven year old jogged to the backyard. The backyard of the Dursleys was nothing special but it was still considered one of the most well maintained one in their colony. The backyard in itself was small in size with bursts of yellow, red, blue and pink here and there. The grass was well trimmed and some looming trees were standing on the far corner of the yard. The young boy sets down the tools and rolled up his long shirt sleeves, kneeled down and started working. Every now and then humming or even trying to whistle like the actors he had seen in the television when Uncle Vernon watched some of the movies.

It was well past noon and Harry was complete with the day’s chores-tending the garden and cleaning the beddings. He placed the tools were they were supposed to be and slowly crept toward the extreme corner of the yard. Near the looming ancient looking tree, there was a damp and old box inside which were the beautiful friends the boy cherished the most.

“ _What took you so long, Harry?”_ A soft female voice asked the boy.

“ _Yes Harry, why are you late? I was soooooooo bored you know?”_

The boy hummed, slowly and carefully sitting down on the wet grass. “ _I am sorry. But you know how my aunt gets when she is in particularly a very bad mood.”_

“ _Oh we know Harry who gets how much mood swings.”_ One of the resident of the box snickered.

Harry ignored them in favor of getting out what he had planned to give his friends today for meal. He rummaged inside his large pants before his face lifts up and he extract out the items.

“ _Here Jack. Happy seventh month birthday.”_

Jack looked at the two fishes and sniffed them tentatively before letting out a particularly loud purr. His eyes were shining with happiness and moved toward Harry to lick his hands in gratitude. _“Thank you so, so, so much Harry.”_

Harry smiled down at the chestnut brown feline before looking toward Zany, the mother of all the four cats and along the time growing to become Harry’s big sister figure.

Zany was already looking towards him, her ocean blue eyes that complimented her dark midnight fur so beautifully was full of affection and fondness. Harry hides his smile by turning away and looking toward the four feline who were now eating their share quiet peacefully. Harry was so busy gazing the kittens that he was startled when Zany came and sat down on his lap.

“ _You know you don’t have to do it.”_ Zany’s quiet voice spoke loudly over the young boy’s rushing thoughts. He looked down at the black cat and could only shake his head.

_“But I want to Zany. You know I want to….”_

_“Yes maybe you want. But every month of celebration isn’t going to stop the inevitable Harry. You should have learned it by now.”_

Harry sighed again. This time in resignation and full of sadness. “ _You know Zany I always think how you are so indifferent to their death because….. Because you have experienced it all before. But yet it doesn’t make you sad. I don’t know if you are brave or….”_ Harry trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say or how to say.

Zany just shook her head _.”You know we all worry. Even Mers, Fals and Syvia care even if they don’t understand what is wrong. I care. It’s just that you just get used to it. All the dying stuff gets kind of detaching. Moreover we animals are not like you humans. Someday, we too, have to leave you Harry and that’s just how life goes on. ”_

Harry opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out. He simply shook his head and returned to stare towards the others. The carefree aura of the other cats was truly infectious. Even with grievance, Harry couldn’t help the smile blooming on his face. He knew Jack was only few weeks away from leaving them all but that still did not lessen the pain of knowing that his chestnut friend was going away forever.

It was about an hour later when Harry said his farewell and sneaked inside the house from the backdoor. He looked at the door with so much pain suppressed within his heart that it made him want to cry.

“ _Yeah….. Life will always go on but never will my heart stop yearning for my first friend.”_ Harry whispered and leaned against the closed door.

______________________________

Two soft and caring hands caressed his forehead. The warmth of someone who he has known for ever was engulfing him with pure love. He could feel someone breathing down on his forehead, humming a soft lullaby. Harry tried to open his eyes but failed doing it. There was some kind of pressure on his eyes, a slight sting of something. He squirmed in discomfort. Tugged on whoever was holding him to soothe the irritation.

At first nothing happened. The figure holding him was still singing the lullaby before everything was succumbed into an even stillness. Harry tried again and whined at the pain. It felt like an eternity before footsteps approached his way. He was gently lifted up and taken to somewhere. And again there was this stillness as if the whole world was waiting for something to happen. But still nothing. He felt himself to be put somewhere cold and hard. But it felt like something was holding him there.

A moment later, low voiced murmurs of the same woman, who was signing the lullaby, could be heard alongside a more high pitched voice. Harry stopped moving and tried to listen to them but only muffled voices of them were ringing inside his head. It seemed as if a filter had been placed on his ears with cotton stuffed to make it more soundproof. And then he heard it.

A very high pitched and heart wrenching scream. Metals clicking down and a very ominous sound of bells ringing. Harry tried to sit up and run. His attempts were made futile when a very cold hand grazed his shoulders. With all his will power, Harry opened his eyes; ignored the growing pain and looked behind him. He felt disgust and fear, mixed together to form an ugly mass in the pit of his stomach. A woman, who looked to have bathed in blood, stood before him. Hair matted with dirt and her pale yellow skin contrasting horribly with the dark red blood. His gaze fell down on the hand on his shoulder. Where there was supposed to be a hand, was a thin vein like rubber tentacles. Harry flinched violently to try and remove the hand but the thing only tightened its grip on him.

“Oh Harry, come and be a nice boy to help this lady there.” The woman crooned at him.

Looking above the woman’s shoulder, he saw it. A headless human. Sitting on one of the chairs and cleaning what looked like a dragger. Besides the headless being was a-----

Harry screamed.

He woke up with a start. Heaving and trying to get his raging heart to quite down. With trembling hands Harry whipped his forehead where sweat was gathering. He gulped air like a thirsty man. Expanding his lungs painfully to try and store air like there was no other day. His hands were cold as he rubbed his face.

The same dream. Harry lets out a silent sob. It has been years yet Harry still did not know what the nightmare meant nor did he want to know. The same place, the same woman, the same headless man and the same---

Harry shuddered at the image. He did not want to know what it all meant. Even the thought of finding out answers made him want to vomit. He looked around his dark cupboard and decided then and there that he was going out to take a night stroll. Even if it meant he had to withstand the onslaught of scolding and punishments he could have to face later.


	2. Chapter 2

The sizzling sound of meat being cooked filled the entirety of the Dursley’s household. Harry who was just about to enter the house was allured by the smell of the food. He quickly made his way inside the bathroom and washed his hands before steeping into the kitchen.

“Aunt Petunia I have brought what you wanted…” With that said Harry quickly pulled out the two packets of brown rice and a few handful of some kind of Thai spices from inside his large baggy trousers.

Aunt Petunia nodded stiffly and set back to what she was cooking without even turning his way. Harry gingerly placed the items down on the kitchen counter, waiting near the dining table awkwardly. His aunt looked up from the pan and quirked a brow at him, promoting him to answer the unspoken question of why he was still there.

Harry shifted from one foot to another. “I-uh….I thought you could like some sort of help with……” he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Petunia huffed, “Listen boy…. You helped me enough as it is. Now go into your room and don’t come out until your uncle arrives and takes you…the-there.”

Harry nodded mutely and tracked his way back to Dudley’s second bedroom. Harry still could not believe his luck! Only until last week he was living inside the gloomy, dark cupboard and now here he was living in his own room.

It had been a week since he came to realize what or precisely who he was. He was a wizard! And he was going to study in Hogwarts about magic. How fun was that? So today his uncle was going to take him to some London bookstore and from there he could go to buy his school supply. He had to find a place in London just for today and tomorrow his uncle would pick him away from near the bookstore as they were going to have guests tonight and didn’t want Harry in the house.

The young eleven year old boy was still having a hard time contemplating what had happened. His brain even after a week was still a haywire of overwhelming information he had received-some good while a particular one made him sad even now when he thought about it.

-*-

“Okay so you want to tell me I am a wizard as in I can do magic!” Harry exclaimed- the very idea of being a wizard was outrageous to him.

His Aunt grimaced at that and shushed him down. He quickly apologized and let her continue. “Yes…You are a-uh-….wi-wizard. Magical folks. Yeah. So listen now. You will be going to this magical school Hog-Hogwarts. And next week your uncle will drop you to this address for you to go buy the school stuff you will need.”

Petunia, in Harry’s opinion looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Her face was set in a permanent grim expression. Harry could have found it funny if it wasn’t for the fact that he was feeling overwhelmed. 

“So next Monday you will….go here.” His aunt pointed towards the address written on the thick piece of paper. “You are to not return that day but the next day when your uncle will drive again to pick you up. You-uh you will not return here after the 1st of September this year either.”

At that Harry whipped his head up to look at his aunt. “What do you mean, Aunt Petunia?”

Petunia just shrugged, “Don’t know yet. In this paper it is written that you are not to return again expect if there is some kind of emergency. And-and that we will not remember where you are? I really don’t know.”

Harry stared wide eyes at his aunt. His mind trying to understand the implication behind her words. So this has to mean only one thing. He was going to be Dursley free just in a few weeks! Harry had to bite the inside of his cheeks from smiling widely. His entire body was tingling with happiness and excitement and he had to fist his hands from jumping up and down. “Who delivered the invitation?”

At that his aunt pulled up a disgusted face. “An owl delivered it with all this other-other parchments of what you have to do and how.”

“Pa-Parchments? Isn’t that kind of medieval?”

Petunia took a long shuddering breath and waved the thick brown paper. “Th-this is a parchment. Magical folks like to use it as writing in these makes the handwriting elegant and more noteworthy.” 

Harry tilted his head in confusion, brows furrowed and a frown forming on his lips. Curiously he asked.

“Aunt you seem to know this quite well… how is it so?”

To Harry’s utter confusion, Petunia suddenly turned pale and her brown eyes were darting everywhere as if trying to find something to hide behind. Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she covered her face. A sigh. She removed her hand and looked towards him-Harry could have sworn he saw a flicker of sadness in those brown eyes before she began speaking with a closed off expression.

“Lo-Look your mother Lily was also part of the ma-magical society. A-a wi-witch. After her first year she always used to write in these papers with a feather quill. She once said it helped her to steady her rough writings and helped her to write more quickly. The thick surface provides a kind of challenge to her, as to put it accordingly….”

All Harry could hear was the blood rush. Whatever his aunt said after that he didn’t listen-wasn’t able to listen. All he could do was look towards his aunt. His mind was a cluster of so many thoughts that Harry wasn’t even able to grasps a single thought and clutch to it tightly. Only a single word left his lips, “How….?”

His aunt looked uncomfortable with been asked such a question but Harry could not focus on that, his mind was becoming a numbing mass. “Don’t be like that. We just didn’t want to say your true heritage. What could happen if you turned out to be just like my sister? I didn’t want that, a repeat of past, so I had to hide it. But they indeed were not there to raise you. Your-uh father died during some sort of battle from what we knew. There-uh I…um…think? There was a war going on then. And your mother.” A pause.”…. your mother is in some sort of a place for….” A shrug.

Harry sat there, hands trembling with cold shock. “You knew…. You knew yet you never told me anything about them. When were you going to tell me, huh? You lied to me before-saying they died in a plane crash. Why you lied? Why?” He cried out. He could feel his cheeks getting wet; tears escaping before he could even comprehend that he was crying. Everything felt like a surreal dream. He felt like he had left his body, watching and feeling everything from outside perspective; he couldn’t remember what had happened after that expect for crying for the next few hours and inviting sleep with open arms. 

The pain and sadness clung to him even after that. He just could not understand the fact that he was lied to for so many years by his very own relatives.

-*-

Eleven years old Harry Potter stood near ‘Shook the Book!’ bookstore with a file in his hand. He opened the file and read what he had to do after that. Looking around and tugging his bag more securely around his back, Harry entered the shop. He looked around the store and found it to be a typical looking bookstore-nothing was magical about it. Various kinds of books were stacked on the shelves along with sporadically placed figurines here and there.

He made his way to the counter to find an odd looking man sitting there. The whole aura the man was exuding was murderous. Harry suppressed his urge shudder when the man looked at him and plastered a smile. “Um…Hello. I was wondering if you could tell me where to get my Hogwarts school supplies?”

The man with a scornful expression asked, “Go and open the backdoor. Same to be done when you enter the muggle world again.”

Harry nodded his head and quickly dashed out of the vicinity of the man while wondering what the heck a ‘muggle’ was. He quickly worked his way to the backdoor and looked around to see if someone unwanted was there-even if he won’t be able tell the difference. Finding nothing noteworthy, he meekly opened the door only to be greeted with a never-ending darkness. He stepped outside it and with cold hands closed the door-still facing the darkness. He turned around to face the door again all the while wondering what he had to do when nothing happened or changed.

Slowly twisting the knob to enter the store and ask the shopkeeper for precise directions of going to the shop for buying his stuff-Harry was fairly surprised when the door didn’t open and then he panicked .He looked behind his back with worried eyes, afraid someone might appear out of the nowhere and attack him only to stop in his course of actions and gaze the sturdy brown wall in front of him. Where a mere moment ago darkness was looming, was now a warm, cozy hallway stacked to the top with books.

This was some sort of dimension alternating spell! It had to, Harry thought. No way was there a way to shift from one location to another. It was just like those animes that Dudley watched. Or even like those comic characters. Harry still in awe and a bit embarrassed from his earlier mini meltdown looked down on the file to hide the growing blush on his face with it. Before coming, Harry had requested a small file to keep all the lose papers inside it. His uncle had begrudgingly given him a worn out file along with Dudley’s torn backpack before leaving the house when he saw Harry’s hands full of parchments.

“A muggleborn, I suppose?” A female voice made Harry look up. A woman, nearly in her late-fifties, with wrinkled face was staring at him. The young wizard could have mistaken the woman’s voice for kindness if it was not for her narrowed eyes which were filled to the brim with disgust. Harry not knowing what a muggleborn was either simply nodded his head. The woman’s her upper lips curled up in a sneer before motioning for him to follow her. 

She escorted him to the exit of the shop and turned around again. “Come back after you have collected money from the Gringotts-which is that white building down the road.”

Harry nodded his head at the woman before walking in the direction of the bank. Upon coming to the entrance of the white building, he noticed two odd looking creatures. They were quite short and had pointed ears with a greenish pale tone to their skin. They were also holding some sort of weaponries. Harry quickly passed the two intimidating creatures and entered the building only to find more of the same creatures. There were many other adults who were talking with the creatures.

The young boy moved near one of the less crowded counters and stood behind the man who was talking with the creature rather harshly. After a minute or two the person before him turned to leave when his eyes fell on Harry. The man, barely in his twenties, glared at him before he strode away. Harry heard something along the lines of “filthy mudbloods…….. Goblin, elves were not……. Now these…… genocide….” He ignored it (a bit crept out) and looked at the creature in front of him.

“Um-He-Hello Sir. I am here to retrieve some amount from this account.” Harry meekly said holding out a parchment where the name of Potter was highlighted.

The creature looked up from the staff of papers. “Key?”, he asked, completely disregarding the papers Harry had laid down on the counter.

Harry fumbled inside the worn out bag on his back. He quickly handed the key to the creature after finding it in the depths of the backpack (It was send with the letter according to his aunt). The creature- Harry really had to know what they were called- thoroughly inspected the small object before handing it back to him and pointed towards the left side of the room. He followed his line of vision to see another one of them. He quickly uttered a ‘thank you’ and moved towards the one standing in the corner.

After a wild ride in a mini cart to the dark dungeons and gaining the knowledge of goblins- Harry still couldn’t shake off the disgusted look he got when he had asked the question- he stood inside _his_ own money vault which was filled with thousands of gold coins- Galleons-, silver coins- Sickles- and copper coins- Knuts. Harry quickly took ten of each coin (he had asked about their value with that of the non-magical – Harry still does not know what they were called-community) and placed them inside a pouch which was linked with the vault and he could take out money every now and then which the goblins would be notified of.

After his finished business with the bank, Harry quickly strode back towards the store where the woman _might_ be waiting for him. A bell tinkled softly-Harry repressed a violent shudder- to announce his arrival. The woman from before was sitting on the counter reading a thick tomb. Harry quietly cleared his throat (just in case she didn’t hear the chiming bell) and stood ineptly near the desk. The woman peeped over her book before closing it with a shake of her head and from thin air conjured a piece of paper and a feather. Harry was mesmerized. _Magic was awesome!_

“Name?” The woman asked.

Harry was snapped out of his stupor. “Harry. Harry Potter.”

The woman looked up from the paper and squinted at him. Harry resisted the urge to squirm under her intense gaze and looked head on in her dull grey eyes. “You said you were a muggleborn? Don’t you know what the term means?”

Harry flushed at that and began to stammer. “No-no….I-I mean… Yes-“

“You said Potter, right?” The woman cut him off. Harry immediately clammed up and nodded in agreement. “They always liked to shelter their child- the Potters I mean. Strong believers with their ideas of ‘enact purity and innocence of one’. Once meet James Potter when he was a 15 year old fellow; even then he believed the whole world to be beautiful shades of bright colors.” The woman seemed to size him up. “Are you, perhaps, a relative of James Potter?”

Not knowing if he should defend this man who was his father or just agree to play along with this woman Harry just stared at her, thinking out his answer. The latter option weighed more pros than cons and so Harry just nodded his head.

The woman just hummed. She sat up straighter and began speaking in a conspiratorial voice. “I don’t know why you came through that muggle store and not the floo connection but I think it is my duty to enlighten you because shelter children in this world cannot survive here for one day. You are a pureblood because Potters are one of the ancient families in the Wizarding world even if they are not the part of the sacred 28- which I guess you know-“Harry dutifully kept his mouth shut, feeling more lost than before. “-and then there are the halfblood; honestly I think nobody should respect them because how can they tint the purity of a family with their existence and just live on. Expect for- of course- the Dark Lord himself. Such a figure of power and control-“To Harry’s horror the woman seemed to salivate at the thought of this Dark Lord. “-and knows the better of everyone….. Then there are, finally, the muggleborn. A shame to the name of witches and wizards. Don’t know why Hogwarts and a few others, here, in Europe still allow them to study. They should be a better substitute for elves, you know?” Harry doesn’t so he kept his mouth shut and prayed to every deity present that his expression was not showing the revulsion he felt inside.

Finally- _finally! -_ The woman stopped ranting- _or teaching? -_ And stared at him. “I think you should get going to complete your shopping. You don’t need the identity card which is only for the muggleborns and not for others. Now off you go.”

“If you don’t mind Ma’am what-what are those book stacks?” Harry pointed towards the bundle of few books kept in front of the desk as if they were to be delivered somewhere or to someone.

The woman gave a shrug.”It was for you actually when you said your blood status as a muggleborn. It is compulsory that each and every one of them have these books so that they don’t go around thinking they own the place and know everything-when they clearly don’t. Needs to teach them lessons from early on, you know? Anyway in short, they are guide books.”

Harry hastily reached out for the books when the woman seemed to want to do something to them with the wand. “Um… Ma’am will it be alright be I buy them?” At the questioning look from the woman he explained further. “You see I like to read even if the knowledge is something I know. Kind of like reliving the memories of when I first read them.” Which was true, he _did_ like to reread stuff but in this case, he didn’t know a single thing or rule of this new world.

The woman seemed to become slightly relaxed at that and nodded her head. “A total of 10 gallons and 3 knuts. I gave you a 2% discount because you are- _were_ -a shelter child.”

After five hours of roaming the streets of Diagon Alley- Harry heard the name from a wizard when he was in the potion shop-he finally came to a stop outside the wand shop. ‘Last shopping stop’, Harry thought tiredly. Even though roaming the streets of the bustling alley was fun, he didn’t think he had the energy to move more.

The sign read ‘ _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.’_ with a wand displayed on a purple pillow. Harry pushed the door open and entered it, hearing a soft tinkling sound-Harry tried to ignore it-and was immediately met with a dusty shop. Dust was everywhere and Harry felt his hands twitch with the need to clean it. A man came into the view; his glossy eyes looked like it held answers to every question in this world. His back hunched over and his thin, purple veins contrasting with the pale of the skin.

“Ah! Here for your wand, young lad?” Harry nodded stiffly. “Hmmm….. Perhaps we should start with question of which is your wand arm?”

“I-I am right-handed, sir.”

“Hold out your arm. Yes that will do.” He then started measuring Harry from every angle possible- starting from arm to shoulder to nose width. But Harry didn’t put any attention his entire focus was on the moving tape (even if it was a bit disturbing to watch the flimsy thing fly around). After a few minutes the tape loosened up a bit and fell down, Ollivander wandering off to the depths of the dusty shelves and returned with a handful of wands. “Unicorn hair and Ash wood. Sturdy but quick. Here, give it a whisk.” Harry did as asked and suddenly the floorboard underneath him exploded. He rushed to put it back.

“Too weak, eh? Well worry not. Try this one Maple and Phoenix feather. Light and smooth.” Harry tried and tried and tried. But nothing seemed to happen at all. The wand boxes growing in pile; some broken while others were laying around sadly. Harry was starting to worry now but Ollivander, on contrary, looked excited.

“Tricky customer, I see. Well don’t worry too much. You must remember that the wand chooses a wizard and not the other way round. So be patient and wait for your friend to choose you. Don’t rush, I say. Now could you step here and let your wand find you?” Ollivander asked him.

Harry moved around the corner and stood near the wandmaker. He felt Ollivander touch his shoulder gently-to which Harry was barely able to resist the urge to flinch-and few moments’ later a sudden warmth and coolness washed over him. Similar to the warmth he always felt in his dreams yet so different. He closed his eyes and basked on the feeling he was being greeted with; completely missing the shocked expression of Ollivander. He felt something trying to push him in a particular direction to which he complied before whatever was pushing him suddenly began dancing all around him and hummed in satisfaction when Harry lifted a rough wooden box from somewhere-he doesn’t know where because he was just following whatever this thing was, pushing and pulling his inside.

Opening his eyes, he saw he was deep within the lines of the shelves. Panic gripped him as it appeared that he had wondered off in the store without the wandmaker and with quick but clumsy steps-box still clutched on his hands-he returned to the front of the rooms. Ollivander was standing there, a look of wonder on his face. Harry walked up to him and placed the box on the table with a whispered apology muttered under his breath. Ollivander paid no attention to him, his grey eyes transfixed on the wand box.

“You truly are a piece of mystery, Mr. Potter.” On seeing Harry’s surprised face he merely shook his head and walked behind the counter. “Don’t be shock with me knowing who you are, Mr. Potter. Surely someone has told you that you look just like your father expect for some of the other features.” Harry just shook his head and resumed watching the wandmaker wrap his wand with some brown paper.

“You must remember one thing Mr. Potter. Don’t play with what you are given but instead cherish it. Besides you are definitely going to be someone great with what you have gotten.” Ollivander said.

“Um- I am quiet not sure if I am following you sir.”

“Oh, but you must and you will understand with time. The wand that choose you here have the core of a phoenix feather and the wood of holly-very nice and supply. Has a brother wand-shares the same phoenix feather with another wand I mean-and I must say brother wands are rare but what you have got is gold. Phoenix and yew; thirteen and a half inches-owned by this remarkable person.”

“And who might that be?” Harry asked hesitantly.

Ollivander looked up from the box and gave him a long stare. “The Dark Lord himself, Mr. Potter. The Dark Lord.”

_______________

Harry laid awake inside the dimly lit room, he had rented in- ‘Sweet and Sour Us!’- In the Funky Alley. He still didn’t understand why people could name an alley with such a weird name. Even if what Leo-the part-timer in the inn said about being unique and special than others. Harry had had his dinner a couple of hours ago but with the excitement heavy on his body the young boy was still unable to close his eyes and welcome sleep.

He turned to his left and with great difficulty pulled out his wand box from beneath his pillow. The brown paper was still wrapped around the box as Harry had wanted to open it in the solitude of the night. With both silence and darkness as his only companion, Harry smoothed out the wrinkled edges of the paper and with great care started unwrapping. When the lasts of folds ceased to exist Harry removed the paper and gingerly placed the box on his lap. Both thrilled and a tad bit anxious, he lifted the cover. In the soft red velvet cloth laid his life-long friend- as Ollivander had said. He picked up the wand and the earlier feeling of contempt rushed through him like a long lost friend. Warmth and coolness-so different yet felt so addicting to Harry.

In the moment of pure euphoric bliss, Harry lifted the wand and like what he did in the Ollivanders with many other wands he moved it in a slight jerk. Immediately the dark room lighted up with brightness and Harry in his shocked state dropped the wand. The room lost the brightness. Harry quickly reached out for his wand and gripped onto it tightly.

He gazed his prized possession with awe but also respect. Respect for accepting him and choosing to be his friend of all the other witches and wizards out there. Respect for giving him of what he wanted-LOVE. And many more of which he couldn’t put a name to. The longer he stared, the more he felt the sting in his eyes. And suddenly small droplets of water, glowing silver under the moon’s light, fell down his face.

“Thank you...”He whispered to the wand, his breath hitching every now and then.

Just like that Harry fell asleep with tears running down his cheeks and his wand clutched tightly between his small hands, close to his chest. His heart and magic beating in the same slow and quiet way, his magic extending and wrapping itself around him to keep both the wand and its master protected in a blanket of sweetness that people experienced when visiting the cheery blossoms for the first time.

~*~

The coldness of the area made Harry open his eyes. He shivered with the impact of something wet and cold underneath his feet. Blinking his eyes open and Harry looked around his surroundings. Colorless-that’s the only thing Harry could think of as he surveyed the area from his point of standing. Colorless _and_ cold. He wrapped his thin arms around himself and tried to think how he ended up here but his mind was blank and numb like his limbs. There was a sudden pull inside of him and he fell down. Waiting for the hard impact of the ice cold ground he braced himself with tightly closed eyes. Harry was pleasantly surprised when nothing happened but now it felt as if he was sinking inside of something.

With outstretched hands, he searched for something to steady himself with. A cold and jelly like thing took hold of his wrists. He opened his eyes and everything he saw was _blue._ Everywhere it was blue and he felt light like a feather. The next thing he noticed was that he was inside water. Harry grew frantic and started pushing his limbs in all direction, only to realize he was not moving anywhere. He was where he was! And that wasn’t supposed to happen!

_: Quiet moving now, child!:_ An old and ancient voice spoke from…… everywhere! Harry grew hysteric and the urgent need to breathe made him more panicked. There was a sudden pressure in his guts and Harry gasped and coughed. Splattering from the sudden pain inflicted inside of him.

_: Now:_ The same voice spoke and Harry turned his head in all directions to see who was speaking. Still nothing, only pure blue void. He also belatedly realized he was breathing underwater but decided to ignore it for the sake of knowing where the _heck_ he was currently. _: I see you finally decided to come here:_

“What? I didn’t come or went anywhere! What are you saying? It seems to me you kidnapped me and are now drowning me! Moreover why are you hiding like a coward? Come here if you have the guts to!” Harry exclaimed into the nothingness.

_: Yes, of course. I am afraid of a defenseless child and don’t have the guts to face him:_ The voice drawled, a sarcastic undertone to it. Harry flushed at that but said nothing. _: Anyway. Here is basically, a what, you can say is ‘here’:_

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Harry interrupted.

_: Well now it makes sense:_ The voice snapped. _: Don’t interrupt me boy! Just listen. I almost forgot what it feels like to talk with brainless children:_

Harry made an affronted noise in the back of his throat with a mumbled “’M not brainless.” He pouted and pointedly looked…… somewhere.

_: I have been ‘here’ since I can remember. Occasional change of color palette between various blues but still it is always here. And you after so long decided to greet me, child:_

Harry suddenly noticed a gentle touch of something on his forehead and he closed his eyes. He felt a coolness engulf him whole and quite abruptly the ancient voice was right next to his ear.

_: Just accept me Harry:_ It whispered into his ears and he felt something tug his earlobe. He let out a silent gasp and started squirming to get out of the thing’s grip. But his struggles doesn’t seem to do anything to loosen the hold the thing had on him. It continued to whisper. _: You can get so much if you just don’t reject this. So much power and glory. You can-:_

‘Here’ seemed to warm up suddenly and Harry felt a sudden rise in the temperature that wasn’t there before. He felt heat prickle his skin and let out a surprised noise. It even seemed to stunt the ancient being behind him because he felt the grip around him slacken off and Harry, seeing the opportunity, used his entirety of strength to free himself from it. The thing surprisingly let him go away.

_: How dare you do this to me!? How dare you trick me?:_ The ancient voice near about hissed and Harry felt the coldness inside of him deepen. Everything seemed to just freeze. _: You dare betray me?:_

“I didn’t do anything! What are you sayin-“A strong gust of something cold knocked Harry off his feet and he felt himself drowning deeper and deeper in the dark abyss. His heart freezing and losing its erratic beating.

~*~

Harry’s eyes shot wide open and he immediately sat up. His breathing uneven and shallow. Sweat accumulating near his brows and palms. He licked his dry lips and focused on evening out his breathing. A minute or two later, Harry gingerly laid down on his back and slowly sunk into the soft bedding.

Memories of what he had experienced in the dream were not just a fabricated reality Harry created in his sub-consciousness, he knew about it. It was all too real, it felt real too. He tenderly danced his fingers over where his heart was supposed to be. Where a moment earlier it felt like it was frozen or going to be so was now replaced with a different sort of feeling.

It felt as if heat was released in waves from over his chest area. The heat was the same as he had felt in the dream. Harry lifted his head to inspect the warm area and felt shock repel in the quiet calmness inside of him. It was red; the skin of his entire chest was red like a bruise was forming there. Oddly enough Harry failed to feel any sort of worry or fear.

It had been a long day and he had already seen and experienced too much than he had in his small lifespan of eleven years. It left him exhausted. All this week, he was so excited about shopping-bouncing; running around the park to get rid of the excessive energy-finally seemed to catch him.

Despite his unwillingness to go back to sleep Harry felt his eyes closing on their own accord and he let out an exhausted sigh, all the fatigue crushing on him and making his inside heavy with burden- _responsibilities_ -of something he didn’t quite yet know about. He swears to analyze what he had seen and felt today in that dream of his tomorrow morning when he was more alive than dead.

But the next morning Harry couldn’t for the life of him remember what he had seen in that weird dream of his expect for cold and hot needles prickling his sensitive body and everything being a blue void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~


	3. Chapter 3

“What will you do with knowing?” Leo asked from behind the counter.

Harry smiled sheepishly. “If I want to come again, I am sure ‘Niffle and Kate’ will not find it amusing finding me making their shop my personal stop to Wizarding world.”

Leo shook his head, “No I get _that_ but what I am not getting is why not just use Floo or a Portkey. And-no don’t start with the whole shelter kid drama. I am not dumb that your eleven year old mouth will fool me.”

“Ok, okay...” Harry sighed. “I am living with my muggle relatives, ‘kay. Got Hogwarts letter when I was still there and so my uncle dropped me outside Sweet and Sour Us…. I was meant to stay with them this summer since my parents had some emergency call from Germany…”

Leo looked at him with a calculative gaze, trying to gauge his story. Harry prayed internal that 30% truth with rest of 70% being lie does not count as cheating people. After an eternity of an unofficial staring contest Leo finally spoke up. “Okay I can…. see why you could want more entryways but to me it still seems a little off that a child _not_ a muggleborn is so naïve. And that information about muggles-“At that Leo pointedly looked at him. “Don’t go saying that, between. I mean you living with muggles; can cause you more trouble than worth it. Anyway not my business to begin with. Yours problem, not mine.” Harry gave a strained smile at that. “I will give you the information but…. But in return you have to come and visit every time you are here and buy the new drinks I make.”

Harry grinned and enthusiastically nodded his head. An hour later Harry stood outside ‘Sweet and Sour Us!’ with a heavy backpack filled to the brim with painting stuff and a small enchanted box inside his trouser pocket having all his school supplies. He was slurping from his cream strawberry chocolate syrup drink (Leo made it especially for him to try and comment on it the next time he visited again). A silver car stopped near him and he saw Uncle Vernon sitting inside. Harry quickly opened the car door and sat on the passenger seat. Uncle Vernon didn’t even spare him a look and started the car to make way to Privet Drive 4.

The whole journey Harry watched the view outside, thinking and wondering what his new life in this new unknown will be like. ‘Surely not too much dramatic or friendless or sad’, he thought forlornly. Memories of Zany and her children like a passing boat float by inside his stormy mind.

___________________________

“How are you feeling Petunia?” Vernon asked while resting his hand over hers much thin and small one. They were sitting in the living room. Dudley away with his friends for a birthday party and Harry had once again decided to go and visit the Wizarding shopping center.

Petunia simply shook her head and with sad eyes looked towards her husband. “I don’t know Vernon. It might be just anxiety……”

“I can understand it….. I think. They are going to play with our memories like it doesn’t have any value to us. Now, you know, I regret taking him. So much is going to change.” Vernon said.

Petunia could feel a lump forming in her throat. She cleared her throat to speak, “It’s not that Vernon. I don’t regret anything but I wish I could. It makes me question about so many things. About so many ‘what ifs’ but at the end we are powerless.”

Her eyes moisten and she rapidly blinks, trying to control the tears. Memories of when they were _normal_ , when _she_ was okay, flash through her inner eye. Her lips wobble, “How much I wished he was unlike her or even them. He wasn’t even showing the bouts of accidents like my sister did and he is nothing like she was but I can’t stop this nagging feeling that Harry, too, will turn out to be _just_ like her….. I feel like I had wished too much.”

Vernon rapidly shook his head. “No dear, wishing is something we all do. Even-even those _people_ wishes perhaps. It was just your heart’s yearning, Petunia. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Of-Yes I understand Vernon.” Petunia said. “It’s just I feel I am going to betray them, my parents. She was their daughter _and_ my sister, yet forgetting about her or even her son makes me feel like a traitor. After a few weeks we will forget everything! Doesn’t that scare you, Vernon! Those people even informed us because of our knowledge of their world prior to Harry. What could have happened if they did that suddenly?” Petunia knew she sounded frantic but she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes were wide open and breathing a little uneven.

Vernon immediately pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, beginning to rub her back gently while whispering soothing words to her. “Please dear don’t stress yourself over something so inevitable. I, myself, feel afraid about dealing with this unknown thing but we have to be strong. Harry will after a few weeks go away forever but we have to stay here. We have to stay brave if not for ourselves then think about Dudley.”

At the name of her son, Petunia felt herself shake and immediately started crying, clutching her husband’s shirt while she grieved. Sadness sat heavy inside her heart as tears continued to fall. “Oh Vernon! We only have us from now on. Just the three of us like we…… we had hoped before Harry came.”

Vernon said nothing but hold her more securely. Letting her cry as he stared into the wall above, the photo of his family. Petunia, Dudley and him sitting on their living room couch. His thoughts stirred to what will future be like now that something so vital is going to happen. Vernon could only hope for normality to his family as he leaned a bit to rest his head over his wife’s head.

“Everything will be _normal_ again, Petunia.” Vernon whispered.

_________________________

The alley of magical Britain was full of life with wizards and witches trotting down the streets-chattering and tittering away as Harry passed them. He might have said it before but ‘ _Magic was awesome!’_

He turned his head to every direction-wanting to devour it all. A week prior when he had entered the alley, his awestruck gazes were mostly fixed on the pedestrian; watching-astonished as the wizards and witches performed magic so effortlessly. He could become like them in just a few years! Harry’s smile widened even more at the thought.

After he had entered the Dursleys, Harry had been quick to dart into his room before locking it from inside and sitting down with one of his school books. He had read and read until his mind became fuzzy and his eyes itched from the constant reading he did without any break. Nobody bothered to call him for meals that day-not that Harry noticed it himself. It was around midnight when his stomach had growled quite loudly that Harry had went and taken few raw breads (he liked the bread without it been toasted) along with an apple.

The first few days Harry had been adamant to learn to cast new spells but the determined flame inside of him had flickered when he had realized focusing on pronunciations of the Latin words along with the wand movements were fairly not something he could do at the same time. He had tried practicing the proper intonation at first followed by the movements of the wand only to have his entire practicing sessions to be an utter mess. The mattress of his bed had blasted when Harry had tried the repairing charm. He had a great deal of trouble to fix his mattress before it finally appeared to look somewhat like what it had been before. On one instances Harry had been trying to practice a transfiguring spell on a piece of parchment when the sheet had burned completely leaving behind black ashes.

The entire catastrophe behind his closed bedroom door had made Harry try anything new with great caution. Harry made sure to not make his aunt suspicious of all the misfortunes Dudley’s second bedroom was undergoing. The following days found his holly wand inside his trunk-tucked to a safe corner (he only took it out when he had nightmares and wanted warmth of consolation) and Harry, himself, was now only reading the year material and trying to remember the plants and potion ingredient names instead of going to the practical field of spell casting.

Harry had nearly studied all the school books and he had been yearning to learn and know more about this new world. It was his this thirst to know more that found Harry in the Diagon Alley only a week after. He had entered through a café bathroom this time around and found himself face to face with a grinning Leo. “You had tried the Leaky Cauldron even when I had warned you against doing it, right?” He had asked, looking smug about it.

Harry had garbled out a soft ‘Yes’-a pout forming on his lips. He had tried it just because he had not believed Leo and it was the closest entrance in London to the Alley. When he had spotted the pub, Harry was quick to walk towards the direction of it; only to find he was walking round and round in front of the dinky pub. It was embarrassing when he had finally taken in notice of it and the curious glances he had been subjected to. Harry was quick to duck out of the forming crowd with his face a replica of red tomato (he promised himself to not wonder anywhere near the pub until he was of age or _ever_ ).

Leo had started laughing out loudly-drawing in the attention of few of the customers. Harry threw an uneasy look around-not wanting any more of the burning gazes of the people around him. “You are the best, lad.” The blond man had guffawed-breathing out heavily. “I think you should come here back when you are done doing whatever you want to do or buy. Off you go lad.” With that Harry was pushed out of the inn. 

The lane was more hectic compared to the week prior. Harry saw several boys-looking somewhat of twelve or thirteen-pressed up against the glass of a displayed broom. “Nimbus 2000 will surely help us win if Dawson decides to buy it!” A brown haired boy exclaimed while the other boys whacked his head. “Stupid! We will win with talent not broom quality.”

Harry glanced at them with an amused look before the shop he was here for-came to his vision of periphery. _Flourish_ _and_ _Blotts._ He entered the store and immediately made his way to one of the looming shelves-stacked with books to the ceiling. Harry started arranging through the book titles-picking the ones that interested him and later further sorting through them to buy only a handful.

The school materials for his first step to magical education contained knowledge that was quite heavy for Harry, who was accustomed to the muggle way a topic was taught. Where in muggle schools a particular topic was gradually evolved to an advance kind-like sum using numbers changed to addition of alphabets and so on-the wizarding books, on the contrary, seemed to teach a theme on magic altogether as if expecting the readers to know (or read all kinds of reference books) everything from before. When reading Harry had fairly been confused with few terms and method as the write ups were vague.

He was resolute with his promise of knowing everything before he even stepped foot in the King’s Cross station on the 1st of September. While reading the tomes Harry had come across relatively a lot of book recommendations in between the texts and he was quick to jot it all down. 

Wholly immersed in his quest of book hunting Harry was thoroughly shocked when the lady behind the counter, looking amused, commented on his three hours stay just to buy six books. Harry gaped at her and felt his cheeks burn-flabbergasted. He bowed his head to hide the blush as the shrunken books were given to him by the elderly woman before sprinting out quickly from the shop. 

With hurried steps Harry glided through the swarming alley and into the alley where the inn was. From what Harry had read in the guide books, there were seven main alleys in the Wizarding Britain. The Funky Alley was wholly established for the travelers who came to visit Britain and the northern Europe. Inns, restaurants, traveling shops-were here to satisfy a traveler's need and the Magical Workforce for Tourism and Transport building was in the core of the alley. Its magnificent infrastructure of glass was accentuated with glowing magical light and the sun rays when reflected off the surface created an iridescent glow, making the building seem like molten colors of rainbow that were cascading from the high above. It was pictorial and mesmerizing in the sense that it made Harry loose his breath. He had even started painting the looming structure of splendor in the art book he brought the other day. 

So enticed with the beauty in front of him, Harry barely noticed when he was shoved into a narrow pathway, away from the busy streets of the Funky Alley. The broad daylight deemed a bit with the roofs of the shops a little more wide, creating a canopy of shadowed light. The eleven year old became aware of his changing surrounding when the shouts and loud talks turned to a humming noise and the cool air encircled Harry, a complete contrast to the heat in the main lane.

Moving farther down the street Harry deduced that this was some kind of a local village in between the Diagon Alley and Funky Alley.

The books he had brought from _Niffle and Kate_ labeled as ‘guide books’ for muggleborns had mentioned something about wizards who were in debt to the ministry having their property seized and moved to live in the seven Alleys of Britain until the day they fulfilled the ministry’s demand. The people living here had a magical gold band around their wrist which bonded them to an oath of fulfillment to the Ministry Department of Debts and Loans (the only department in which wizards and creatures-the goblins- worked together) and those who failed to achieve the demands were strived off their jobs and any important title of recognition. Wizards as them were scorned at and most of them were ignored at any pureblood or ministry event, _if_ they were invited. Their treatment was worse than any muggleborn and wizards and witches tried to stay clear as such. The Weasley family along with a few others was predicted to come under the oath in just a few years as they were considered the poorest magical families in Britain.

“…..You shan’t!”

“But this world hidden in the depths of…..”

Harry heard few of the fragmented sentences as he neared the end of the lane. The murmuring voices have rose increasingly as Harry neared the end. He swiftly went down the trodden end of the road and entered a wide road which was crammed with people. He stood up on his tip toes and made a swift once over the crowd from his high point of vicinity. The crowd seemed to stretch endlessly, watching few performers doing a play of some sort on a raised platform. People close to the stage were holding red flags which had a picture of a burning phoenix moving in a circle. A few words in white were writing at the bottom which Harry couldn’t make out from where he was standing.

Even if he was curious, Harry knew it would be near impossible to move forward. Turning his head around Harry spotted a pair of staircases which led to an isolated roof of a locked up house with its curtains drawn in. It was clear that the residence was empty of any life and so Harry quickly climbed up the stairs and perched up on top of the stoned balcony railing. The view was clear and so Harry watched.

A woman dressed in dark green robes laughed out frenziedly, the spectators booed at her. “You all are to die today!”

“No!” A man with auburn beard and a muggle suite shouted enraged. “You crazed woman; I shall not be defeated until I take _you_ down!”

Almost immediately varieties of spells were showered in the stage and the two individuals started what seemed to be a duel. Harry straightened up from his hunched position and watched in awe as the two fought. The wizard and the witch seemed driven to each other, dancing to a song only heard by them. When one fired, the other ducked. They swirled and ran, jumped and rolled. Harry knew it was a mock duel but it was like watching a beautiful art being unraveled part by part. When he had read about dueling in his defense book, Harry had been scared at the idea of fighting but now as he watched the man and the woman play around each other, the only word echoing in his head was ‘ _awesome’_.

The spectators were screaming and cheering. All seemed against the black hair woman; cursing and giving her hateful glares. He quickly realized that this was some sort of a rebelling play against someone. Perhaps the ruler of the Wizarding Britain-Lord Voldemort.

The light around the stage suddenly darkened and the entire crowd quieten, anticipating of what was to come next. Suddenly a deep voice-unmistakably of a man-filled with raw emotions spoke up from the darkness, “We all wish for a peace filled society and the muggles were of no exception. From as early as we can remember, the muggles had revolted for a nation of peace _and_ equality.”

The shadowy hole in the stage suddenly cleared up and where before the background was of dense forest with ragged ground and few boulders was now replaced with a painting.

A woman with a blazing torch and a manuscript stood in the forefront, with people marching past her-holding different flags of different nations. Angels and many other magical creatures were gazing down at them. ‘Fraternity’ was written in bold gold letters among the white clouds. The picture was quite artistic and Harry realized it to be those painting done by muggles during the revolutions, spreading the utopian idea of ‘Democratic and Social Republic’ nation.

“The muggles envisioned a world with harmony and equal status. Through various wars, with lives sacrificed and many tortured, they didn’t forget their main goal. They pushed forward and they conquered what they wanted without a stop. Then why can’t we? We are wizards and witches with the power of magick bestowed upon us.

We have far more power than those muggles who fought with bare arms and brave souls! We can-“

A green light came from nowhere and got sucked into the darkened space, abruptly stopping the person who was speaking. A dull _thud_ echoed throughout the stilled crowd. All the people gawked at the stage aghast. Harry lifted slightly from where he was sitting, peaking over the stoned railing.

All the spectators turned their heads around, alert of whoever had interrupted them and attacked the man speaking before. Wands at ready they stood up each taking a battle stance, eyes serving the area -preparing to attack at the slightest of suspicious movement.

Harry felt his heart beat pick up and his forehead and hands grew clammy with an ever tremble of fear. Even if he didn’t quite know what was happening, his instincts were screaming at him to be cautious of something. Harry bend down and used the opaque railing to conceal himself from everyone, his shoulders were stiff and breathing harsh.

Without seeing anything Harry felt agitated, he could only trust his hearing now to know what was happening. The whole area was filled with quick, hushed whispers. From what Harry saw and understood from the play was that the people gathered here were the Insurgents and he had unknowingly intervened and had a glimpse of the rebel acts.

Battle cries and shouts suddenly infiltrated the quite area. He could hear explosions and excruciating shrieks and yells. Deafening sounds similar to gunshots made a horrifying addition to the entire face of the chaos. Harry squished his eyes shut and hugged his knees near to his chest tightly. His ears felt like they were bleeding from the thunderous sounds of pains the people were making down the street. Quiet sobs escaped his wobbling lips.

He could have never imagined to get caught in the crossfire between two opposing groups-much less a full blown battle. It was making him dizzy with panic and fear, his breathing was ragged and he clenched his fists to control his haywire cluster of emotions. It was all so overwhelming-even trying to draw a breath made Harry cry harder.

He hadn’t wished to be here. Why was he here? He wanted to go to Privet Drive 4 and crawl into his bed, forget everything. He would do anything-

Harry suddenly stood up and before he could contemplate what he was doing, his legs were taking him down the stairs and into the chaos filled street. The young boy didn’t even try to glance around the bloodshed field filled with dead bodies and turned a corner-which was the very alley he had come through-leaping into the dim pathway.

He stumbled and heaved as he ran. Coming to a sudden halt Harry quickly leaned against a sturdy stone wall, feeling exhausted and lightheaded.He was safe, Harry assured himself. He could not hear the shouts which only meant that he was far away from the horrifying battlefield and no one could catch him now. Harry rubbed his hands on his trousers before running them through his sweaty hair. His spectacles were askew and one of his worn out large sneakers didn’t have the thick foam sole underneath which made him limp quite a bit. Hastily he took off his shoes and began walking again.

“Planning on entering the main alley with such a frayed appearance?” A silky voice asked from behind him.

Harry stiffened his shoulder before slowly looking behind his back. Unkempt blonde hair with a sharp face and a penetrating gaze was a wizard Harry was sure he had caught a glance of in the riot from before. The wizard promptly took out his wand and waved it around without muttering any incantation. Harry felt a rustle of something cool wash over his body. Looking down he saw his dirty cloths clean, cleaner than Harry could ever remember it to be.

“Thank you.”

The man tilted his head to the side, an expression of pure boredom evident on his face. He folded his arms and nodded. “Barty Crouch Jr.”

“Harry Potter”, he replied evenly, still cautious of the man.

Barty grinned at him. “You are right to be cautious of me Potter but I must say I just want to escort you back because…”He started moving towards Harry. “….don‘t want public to fright something they don’t have any knowledge ‘bout.”

Harry backed away from the approaching man, eyes narrowed. His back hit the wall behind and he held his breath, dried tear streaks apparent on his face. Barty leaned forward and with a lopsided smile he spoke, “I was ordered to obliviate you about anything that happened here but…. I have decided against it. Taming with a child’s so fragile mind-“He shook his head.”-no one will know. You will surely be tormented from this experience so I should show mercy to you.”

Harry noticed that Barty was talking more to himself than to Harry, not seeming to care if the young boy heard him or not.

“But if I show you mercy then you won’t learn anything would you?” Barty whined; Harry shell-shocked just stared at the blonde man. It didn’t seem to deter Barty as he continued speaking. “Better be educated to know that joining the Insurgents will have you tortured with blades and spells you can’t even began to imagine existed. After you graduate join the military ranks of the Death Eater-you will flourish without a doubt. But don’t rebel lad….. the Dark Lord himself will punish you….

”You understand me right?” Barty asked.

Harry nodded his head fast and exhaled in relief when Barty began to back away from his space.

“I will take you out of here, come.”

Barty turned on his heel and with light steps strode away. Harry was quick on his foot, following the bizarre man from behind, taking turns after turns. When they reached the mouth of the dimmed alley, Barty stopped and signaled for Harry to go, clearly not wanting to escort the eleven year any farther than this.

“And remember…… Nobody should find out about it in any way or else….” Barty trailed off.

Nodding in affirmation, Harry sauntered away, mixing with the many pedestrians in the Funky Alley. Mind already swirling with fabricated truths of where he was until the dusk hours that he could surely have to tell to a very concerned Leo.

“You will make a great Death Eater…. Potter, I am sure of it. Even the Lestrange trio would agree….” Barty spoke into the vacant pathway, eyes boring on the eleven year old before he disappeared into the thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for such a late update. I was actually planning on dropping this chapter on Sunday but due to some issues that occurred in our neighbors I wasn't able to write. I had even planned on posting a Tomarry one shot on the day of Christmas but.....I had to cancel it..... But don't worry as I will surely upload it this coming new year!
> 
> Moreover even if I wasn't able to reply to any of you last chapter but I did read it all and it made me happy that you are liking the story so far. So thank you for the support!!
> 
> Exams have started knocking at my door ^_^'.... and so uploads will be a bit slow as I don't plan on writing something that will leave you all with much to be desired with. So please be patient with me.  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> P.S.- I know I have made Harry seem like a crybaby or something in just a span of three chapters but do remember that he is overwhelmed with all this new info he had received and is experiencing currently....so emotions are ought to get out of control. 
> 
> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~


	4. Chapter 4

He was finally going to Hogwarts! After weeks of being constantly jittery with nervous energy, he was finally boarding the Hogwarts Express. His uncle and aunt (he did not know where Dudley had been to) had dropped him to the Kings Cross station without anything but stiff murmured wishes for his new school year. Harry was all to daze to think anything and so he had happily bid them goodbye and trotted across the street to the station.

Making his way through a pillar was really weird for Harry. It felt like numerous little creatures were tickling him as he passed the barrier and entered platform 9 ¾. Turning around all he could see were witches and wizards wearing long robes and many children hugging or talking to one around (a part of Harry wondering how it could be to have parents seeing him go to school, but he was quick to dismiss such thoughts from his head). It was thrilling to see all this was true and that he would study magic! Harry had to stop himself from squealing out loud from excitement.

For the past two weeks his excitement at the prospect of going to Hogwarts had deemed ever so slightly. The massacre the last time he had visited the Magical District of Britain had made him afraid and a bit apprehensive.

Harry hadn’t expected the revolts and protests to go till now. Sure he had read about the Insurgents and their continuous act to try and defy the Dark Lord for ages even after so many years of his regime. Harry had sort of expected small protests against the laws and all like in the muggle world but he hadn’t thought of the scenario to be this much worse.

The Insurgents truly did hate the Dark Lord.

After that he had all together stopped about thinking about the incident. Harry had been afraid and slightly unnerved and he didn’t think he wanted to present himself as a fearful boy to the residents of the magical school. The warmth within him had near about extinguished but now that he was standing in platform 9 ¾ and staring all around himself, the exhilaration had returned and he just couldn’t stop smiling as he looked everywhere.

A scarlet stream engine with a sign overhead read _Hogwarts Express, 11’O clock_ and the smoke was bellowing from the engine. The station was an utter chaos of owls hooting, cats complaining and people speaking over one around with the additionally sounds of scarping of heavy trunks.

He made his way inside the train, narrowly avoiding a slithering snake before he could trip over (he would never admit of having squeaked upon seeing the crawling reptilian). Every one of the compartment was full and Harry didn’t feel comfortable enough to sit with strangers just yet. So he moved towards the very back of the train to finally found a small yet empty compartment. He glided the door open and walked inside. Pulling the door closed, Harry placed his trunk on the floor and retrieved the book he was reading from yesterday. Fully immersing himself to the content of the book.

It was an hour later when there was a sudden knock on the door of the compartment and a tall blonde haired boy with his trunk flowing behind him peeked inside. His eyes imperiously scanned the empty room before he opened it completely.

“Mind if I join you?” He asked.

Harry looked up from the page he was reading, a glazed look on his eyes as stared at the boy before him. A moment later he simply shook his head and watched as the boy entered the compartment with the trunk still floating behind him. Harry flushed when the boy eyed his trunk (which was still on the floor) with a raised brow.

“Sor-Sorry…I-I um I will immediately put it up.” Harry squeaked out, embarrassed.

He folded the page he was reading and got up to lift the trunk and put it above. He hauled it up to his seat and huffed out from the exertion before lifted it again to try and shove it up only to drop his trunk and stumble backwards. His back hit the boy behind him and when he timidly glanced behind him-he was mortified to see the boy looking down at him with an amused expression. With a yelp he moved away as if burned and ungracefully bowed his head and apologized. Harry could fill his cheeks burn with embarrassment and he hoped that in the first day of his step to magical education he hadn’t made an enemy just by been his clumsy self.

Minutes passed by and the whole compartment was silent expect for the shouts from the outside. Harry dared to sneak a quick look and to his growing horror _and_ confusion found that the boy had a constipated look on his growing red face as if he were being somehow chocked out by Harry. He was about to apologize again when the boy spoke up.

“I-I will help…you”, the boy offered, sounding breathless and a little pained.

Harry watched awe-struck as the blonde took out his wand and muttered a spell under his breath moving his wand around and stacked both the trunks above. He turned around and simply nodded his head before plopping down opposite Harry.

Harry gulped and took his seat. He fiddled with the hem of the sweater, unsure if he should introduce himself or not to the boy before him. He looked down at the book he was reading and with a sudden determination he opened his mouth to introduce himself to the blonde when there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, “Anything from the trolley, dears?”

Not wanting to eat anything just yet Harry was about to say ‘no’ when the blonde stood up and went up to the lady. The blonde bought different sorts of sweets from the woman and thanked her politely before closing the door behind him.

“Want some?” The boy asked as he chewed some weird frog looking chocolate which seemed to wobble a bit. Harry looked up from the book (he started reading it again when it became apparent the boy couldn’t return anytime soon with his purchases) and simply shook his head.

“No thanks.”

“Not a sweet lover, are you?” The blonde asked him curiously.

Harry smiled. “Actually quite the contrary but I just am not in the mood now.”

The boy seemed to understand as he nodded and went back to nibbling the animated frog.

Harry decided to ignore the eerie thing struggling in the tight grip the boy had on it and spoke, “Harry Potter, first year.”

The boy stopped mid-way and looked at him with wide eyes. He swallowed the chocolate. “Theodore Nott. Same as you.” 

Harry shyly smiled at Theodore before both the boys lost themselves to their speculations of their first year and what it would be like.

It was nearly one in the afternoon when Theodore suddenly stood up and brought his trunk down along with Harry’s. He placed Harry’s trunk on the seat and made his one float behind him. Theodore shot Harry an apologetic smile. “I am sorry Harry but I have to go and find Blaise. It was fun talking to you and I hope we cross paths again.”

Harry watched forlornly as Theodore hurriedly left the compartment. He had hoped that they could become great friends but it seemed he had been wrong about it. He quickly took out the book he was reading and once again-like always-immersed himself to the world of the swirling words.

From time to time Harry could look up from the book to see out of the window. It was nearing to dusk and yet they were just moving and moving. It made Harry wonder where Hogwarts actually was located. Sure the book _Hogwarts: A History_ said it was in Scotland but the precise location was not said. The passing meadow and the dancing green with sporadic appearance of different colors made Harry yearn to capture the beauty with his hands on the papers that rests inside his trunk. He focused back on the book, promising to draw it sometime during this year.

“We are approaching the Hogsmeade station. Those who are still not in their Hogwarts uniform, please do it now.” A commanding voice of a male said throughout the train. Harry jerked his head sideways from being startled before marking the page of the book and putting it inside the trunk. He quickly took out his Hogwarts robes and changed into them, occasionally glancing out of the window to see the pitch black sky with some twinkling stars.

When the train came to a slow stop, Harry hurriedly tried to tame his hair and straighten his robes.

One last time, he checked his blackish reflection on the windowpane before exiting the room. Hands tightly clutched on either side of him, he followed the other students out of the train. It was biting chilly outside with the lazy breezes swinging past them. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around him and rubbed it up and down to produce some heat. From the corner of his eyes he could see some of the other students, probably first year like him were doing the same. He could also hear some students snigger at them but pointedly ignored those.

“First years, if you may follow me.” A soft yet hard voice spoke up from their left. Harry turned around to see a man, probably in his thirties, standing on the far end of the platform wearing dark blue robes with his brown hair styled to the side. His posture was straight and an aura of discipline surrounded him. When the small group of first year huddled near him, the man simply narrowed his eyes before he begin speaking. “My name is Edward Rowle but you are to call me Professor Rowle. I am going to teach you all Ancient Studies from second year and as well as am the head of the Gryffindor house. Now, it is Hogwarts tradition for first years to cross the Black Lake to enter the castle as the wards around the lake are sensitive and registers new magical signatures of the children entering. So now you are to follow me to the lake and from there your new life will start.”Professor Rowle, with that, turned on his heels and escorted the many eleven years old children to the lake.

“Only four per boat”, with that Professor Rowle moved to sit on a black boat; different from the others resting near the shore. Harry moved behind the other students and sat down on the one near to him. He remained quiet as the other students, too, piled up on the boats. Harry paid no attention to the three girls sitting with him, not because he wanted to but simply because he was enthralled by the shinning black water under the night sky. ‘So beautiful’, he thought to himself as he just stared at the water.

Sudden gasps from nearby students and his own boat mates made Harry snap his head up and look up at the gigantic castle in front of him. His own gasp got drowned down under the many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’. It was pure and so beautiful. The starlight made it look all the more enchanting. From where Harry was seeing the castle, it looked like those Disney movie palaces he had seen but it was more gorgeous. The occasional glimmering light from the windows looked like small lanterns were hung there to give an eternal glow to the castle. The orange and red hues on the walls of the castle contrasted with the mid-blue sky with simmering stars spread like dust on it. The picture painted with the natural colors was mind numbingly beautiful and Harry felt that words were all too less to describe its beauty. All Harry could think were-Beautiful, wonderful, enchanting, and breathtaking and so on.

Upon reaching the castle, Professor Rowle took them inside and through a narrow hallway before coming to a stop near a woman. He nodded at her and strode to the other side of the hallway before disappearing; not even spearing the small kids a backward glance.

The woman cleared her throat and spoke with a stern voice. “Now children, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Minerva McGonagall, your transfiguration professor here and also the Deputy Headmistress. After a few minutes from here you will be escorted into the great hall where you will be sorted into one of the Hogwarts houses. There are four houses-Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house have their own special traits and you will become any one of them. After you are sorted your house will be like your family for the next seven years. Over the years many new will join you and many will leave. So treat your housemates with respect and help your friend when needed.” Her eyes scanned the trembling first years before she continued. “Now tidy up and make two lines here. Don’t cause a ruckus and wait here for a moment.” With that she strolled away, her red robes flaring behind her like moving fire.

All the first years started straightening up their robes and tried to style up their hairs with their fingers. Some whispering among themselves and giggling every now and then. Harry tried to calm down his raging heart and dug his fingers inside his inner wrist to just feel and forget the anxiety itching beneath his skin. He looked around to see where Theodore was and found that the blonde boy was talking to some other tan skinned boy. When their eyes met, Harry quickly turned away. 

“How do you think we are to be stored?” A dark skinned boy asked who was standing behind Harry.

“My brother said we have to fight trolls or something.” A red headed boy whispered. Everyone around him turned towards him and the boy flushed a crimson red, darting his eyes to somewhere else.

“Well I think they aren’t foolish enough to demand such horrendous act from first years. It could be most likely that we have to show off spells mentioned in the books.” A bushy haired girl piped up.

Some boys a little ahead sniggered at that. A blonde boy with two fat boys accompanying him spoke up. “Of course we will show spells that will determine whether we are intelligent or dumb like those Gryffindors.” The bushy girl flushed. She opened her mouth to retort when a ghostly pale hand landed on her shoulder. She along with many others shrieked. Harry dutifully ignored them and went back to admiring the moving pictures, catching something along the lines ‘Hogwarts ghost…… Hope to see you….. Better go.’ He could have shown interest to the ghosts but the pictures had demanded his attention and Harry was always more than ready to give them that. ‘Can’t really blame a salivating boy’, Harry thought with an inward shrug.

After a while, McGonagall returned and directed them to the path of Great Hall. Upon entering the hall, Harry was forced to forget about those moving pictures.

The hall was massive! Harry was willing to bet that if whole of his uncle’s house was to be brought here, there could still be more than half of the area empty. He was in awe. Not even an hour has passed and Hogwarts had already surprised Harry so many times with its unusualness. He already loved it and was more than happy to embrace this new home.

On the very end of the hall was a gigantic table, were many more professors were seated. Four huge tables were placed vertically to the main teachers’ table where students with green, red, blue and yellow robes each were sitting and chatting with one another. But what truly captivated him was the ceiling. It was so beautiful! Harry remembered reading about it being bewitched to show the sky but he didn’t remember reading anything about its beauty. The whole Great hall was lit with brightness but it didn’t seem to dim out the beautiful night sky lit with its own bright twinkling stars. Harry was star-struck but he couldn’t complain about it, when everything here seemed so breathtakingly beautiful.

Professor McGonagall briskly walked up to the front of the staff table and only then did Harry see the rusty and torn out hat perched on a stool. McGonagall stood near it and gently tapped its top with the tip of her wand. The hat suddenly jerked up and started singing. Singing! Harry couldn’t believe his ears or eyes. He listened to it sing about each house and their traits. Honestly Harry had read about the houses on two or three books, he got from Flourish and Blotts along with the bundle that woman had given him but he couldn’t bring himself to care about the houses. He could go anywhere. It is not like those houses will decide Harry’s future for him. It could just show which one of his trait was more enhanced than the others and Harry could have to move on then. He didn’t care about the sorting of houses but it did not mean he was not afraid of walking through such a crowd and people ogling at him.

The hat finished singing and now was peacefully sitting on the stool. Professor McGonagall took out a scroll and unfurled it. Her eyes critically scanned the paper before she looked up and called out Hannah Abbot. A chubby girl with a ponytail walked up to the front. Harry waited with bathed breath, as did many, to see what will happen next. McGonagall jerked her head towards the stool and Hannah obediently sat down there and a moment later the hat fell on her head. The whole hall seemed to hold onto their breath before the hat shouted out a loud ‘Hufflepuff’ for everyone to hear.

Harry just shook his head and released his breath he didn’t know he was holding. So they just have to put a hat and nothing else? Harry smiled a little and turned around towards the paranoid kids from before to see they were chuckling nervously. Especially the red haired boy.

The sorting goes on and on and on. Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor while Terry Boot became the first Ravenclaw. Millicent Bulstrode became the first Slytherin. For some the sorting was really long (Walter Grace who became a Hufflepuff) while for others it was a game of few seconds (Draco Malfoy who became a Slytherin-the same blonde kid from before). Padma Patil and Parvati Patil, the two girls who sat with Harry on the boat along with Jennie Stone got sorted to Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff respectively. The bushy haired girl, too, became a Gryffindor. And then finally-

“Potter, Harry!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed. His eyes catching her wrinkled brown eyes as soon as his name was called. He could swear that he saw Professor McGonagall smile at him for a split second.

Harry began walking as soon as his name was announced and quickly sat down on the seat before the hat was dropped on his head and everything turned black. He quietly sat there, patiently waiting for the hat to shout but nothing happened. He started to worry as everything remained quiet. Too much silence for Harry's raging heartbeat. Surely the hat could not just, not sort him right? Or was he to be the first? Because in the his-

 _“Oh my! How amusing are you?”_ Harry sat up straighter at the foreign voice on his mind.

“ _Who-who are you? You don’t seem to be my consciousness. Are you some the hat?”_

_“Yes, boy yes. I am the sorting hat. Quite the panic you had now.”_ Harry flushed at that and mumbled a soft ‘sorry’. The hat just chuckled. “ _You have quiet the thoughts for sorting. Very few aside of you have I encountered with such an attitude. It gives me quite_ _the relieve that I don’t have to console you of why I want you in that house._

_“Plenty of courage, not a bad mind either. You have got the urge to work hard and to prove yourself but you don’t trust easily, now do you? Hmmm, Gryffindor or Hufflepuff is clearly not for you. Could have sorted you in Slytherin but their prejudices will just confuse you more and that could not do well to a lad such as you. You do have a thirst for knowledge and will like to devour them. But remember the more you know, the more it becomes difficult for you to not venture on dangerous topics. Rowena would like your witty personality that shines every now and then if I put you in…..”_

_“_ RAVENCLAW!” The last word was shouted and Harry flinched at the loud voice just above his head. His ears were already beginning to feel like cotton balls were stuffed inside them. Great! This was exactly what he needed!

Harry leaped up from the stool and handed over the hat to Professor McGonagall before he bowed slightly and proceeded to his now new family. All the students on the Ravenclaw table were clapping softly, some even nodded towards him. Harry sat down beside Michael Corner, a first year, and looked back towards the hat, when from his periphery vision he watched as his once black tie and robe were now a midnight blue with delicate silver linings. His breast pocket now have the insignia of the Ravenclaw house. Two ravens perched on a few hurdled together pieces of olive branches.

Harry could suddenly feel the importance of studying in Hogwarts. He was going to read in one of the top schools of magic in Europe and he promised to himself that he was going to utilize his time here and not take it for granted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope Harry's first Hogwarts view and the sorting was satisfying :-)
> 
> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~


	5. Chapter 5

The opening feast was massive, in Harry’s opinion. There was so much food in the table that Harry was barely able to stop himself from salivating. The entire Great Hall suddenly was illuminated with warm colors of yellow, orange and red. Eating felt like a warm treat under the soft lights. Harry quickly but minding to remain respectable to table manners, filled his plate with various items. He started cutting small pieces of meat and nibbled the pieces- hearing many of the older students chattering among themselves.

“Who do you reckon is our defense teacher this year, Ed?” A dark looking boy asked his friend.

“Honestly speaking, I don’t know. You know I long lost interest in that subject. Just as long as the professor be better and teach us valuable things, I don’t mind.” The other one said.

“Fair enough.”A shrug.

“Um… Excuse me but you are speaking as if the defense teacher always changes….is it common here?” A girl, whom Harry recognize as Wanda McNeal from the sorting asked.

Both the older boys looked up at her. Ed, Harry wasn’t sure if that was his actual name, answered her, “Well you see the thing is, rumors are that the Dark Lord, himself, had put a curse on the position. Something to do with grudge against the previous headmaster so any one who takes the defense position has to leave the post after a year either by some tragic incident or simply resign. Don’t know the details though.”

“You mean to say the Dark Lord actually visits this school?” Anthony Goldstein squeaked with something akin to fear. Harry noted that everyone who was listening to the conversation looked uneasy. The first years, especially, looked ready to faint.

The dark boy shared a troubled look with Ed, who sipped his drink before turning to the first year. “We are not sure about that. From what I know the Dark Lord mostly fancies visiting Drumstrung and Fauzcauhan. Other magical schools are rarely visited by him, especially Hogwarts who houses so many muggleborns and halfbloods. Moreover we never heard about him visiting Hogwarts after the Plague which was a decade ago.”

Some of the students visibly relaxed at that. Harry remembered reading about the Plague from the guide books (which Harry like to call ‘Guide to Prejudice&Greatness of the Wizarding Society’). It was said that during the Plague, many families lost their dear ones in the raging war between the Death Eaters, Dark Lord’s followers, and the Insurgent. As the Dark Lord rose to power through the support of the purebloods, many started revolting as they thought of it as oppression, specially the muggleborns and those who claimed to follow Albus Dumbledore in the path of light. The year between 1963-1981 was a period everyone mourned about, even when thinking. All the while reading the text Harry had wondered for whom his father and mother had fought for.

“How rude of us to not introduce ourselves to you first year!” The dark skinned boy exclaimed. “I am Felix Hanstring and he is Edward Jafwar and we are third year students and best buddies with spell crafting.” Felix said with a pleasant smile. 

At that Harry quipped up from where he was eating a treacle tart. “Spell Crafting?” He asked.

Edward looked towards him. “Potter, I assume?” Harry nodded towards him. “Well it is an elective we get to choose when in our third year. We have Divination, Herbology and Astronomy which are removed after first year and gets replaced with Ancient Studies and Runes with the addition of Arithmancy. We also have Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy, Magical Geology and Political Affairs. Out of all the eight we have to choose at least four subjects.”

Michael Corner looked up from his own dessert with wide eyes. “My sister once said Hogwarts curriculum was changed drastically but so much workload is crazy! We even have to study the core subjects along with language study! How are you all able to cramp such a hectic schedule? Isn’t it tiring?”

“Oh how much for a hectic time table! You too are gonna start that same schedule from tomorrow. ” A girl with reddish black hair drawled from the right side of Felix, who was quite until now. “We literally start our day with from quarter seven and end it around eight in the evening or night or whatever. Think about the fifth and seventh year students. They have so much of pressure. It’s a miracle that most don’t burn out their brain last moment.”

Felix looked a bit uneasy as he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Ignore her. Name’s Navnna Carom. Always grumpy and snappy. I could suggest against going to her when you have any problem. She will increase it than solve anything.”

“I can hear you Felix.” Navnna deadpanned and Felix smiled sheepishly before winking at her and turning to talk with Edward.

Harry looked at them almost longingly. A yearning for an easygoing and fun friendship. He lets his eyes wonder around the Great Hall, thinking who could like to be a friend of a halfblood of all things. He shook his head to rid it off the forlorn thoughts. ‘Positive Harry. Think positive. This is a new start for you; away from the Dursleys and within your own. They understand you, Harry!’ He scolded himself inwardly.

After the feast, the mummers across the Great Hall started to descend as a blanket of quietness draped around it. An old man with a small bushy beard and eyes that holds the cruelty of the world stood up. He servered the hall with his eyes and Harry could almost feel the weight of the gaze when his eyes were on the Ravenclaw table.

“Hogwarts has once again risen from its short slumber. Welcome to the new students who have joined us today as a part of the prestigious magical school and greetings to the old students.” The timber of the man’s voice was rich with an undertone of command to hear him out. The entire hall was solely focused on the man, who Harry assumed was their Headmaster Naill Quinn. “As of the many years Quidditch selection and practice will start mid-December and before that any and all tries to play will result in heavy punishment. The forbidden forest is out of reach for all of you and can only be entered when supervised by a teacher. ” Here he paused and lets it sink for everyone.

From the corner of his eyes Harry could see Felix and Navnna were looking utterly bored and ready to pass out. Felix catches Harry’s eyes and mouthed to him ‘Always the same.’ Harry hide his smile and looked back to the front.

“This year, Myrus Lowe, a greatly reputed strategist behind many of the successful raid against the Insurgent will be your Defense professor.” A man with black and grey hair stood up and nodded to everyone in the Hall. His eyes were sharp yet it felt like it was telling a thousand stories at once. His wrinkled face did’t hide few of the scar line across his face. All the students clapped politely in a welcoming gesture to the new professor. Harry heard Edward whisper to Felix ‘Your answer came in a gold platter this year.’

“Now as you know the curriculum of Hogwarts is heavily changed and will be changed more in the coming future, I could say that this year your classes will be of an hour long and a break of fifteen minutes will be granted after every three periods.” Many of the upperclassman students slumped down on their seats with relief. “But the sixth and seventh year will start their apprentice in the fields they are interested in with people they themselves have chosen. As for the other years, especially the first year, you have to work hard and be dedicated to what you all are learning. You are being invited to the most diverse magical school here in Europe, so use and value your time here with care and dedication. I sincerely hope all of you will excel in your life with the name of Hogwarts rising high with you.”

With that Headmaster Quinn takes his seat and all the prefects from each house starts escorting the students to their dormitories. Clare Villin, a Ravenclaw seventh year prefect, led them through different moving stairs to the second highest tower of the castle. They came to an abrupt stop near a door with an eagle knocker.

Clearwater turned toward the first years, “This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw dormitories. Unlike the other houses, who have passwords to enter their common room, we ravens have to answer a riddle or a question asked by this eagle door knocker. Only if you are able to answer, entry will be permitted otherwise you have to wait until someone else will be able to reply. We have a tradition of allowing the first year to answer an asked question every new term. So hurry up and see if you have enough wits to be here.” With that she faceed the door and a melodic soft voice began to speak.

**_“You are me and I am you,_ **

**_Yet always envious of me_ **

**_But also an omnipresent wants of yours,_ **

**_Could you dare say who am I?”_ **

****

Stillness fell over the first year students as they thought of the riddle. Harry stared at the knocker thoughtfully, thinking what might be the right answer to the riddle. When he was with the Dursleys, he could every now and then take the daily newspaper to solve the puzzles. He could not say he was the best but he could pass being pretty average in solving those but this riddle was beyond anything he had ever tried so he adamantly wanted to be the first to crack it. From his periphery, Harry could see some of the other students were discussing within each other but most were alone thinking to themselves.

Not even five minutes later Lisa Turpin, a pale looking girl with molten grey eyes and light brown hair stepped forward with confidence oozing out of her. Clearwater looked expectantly and gestured the girl to go near the eagle door knocker. Lisa went near the knocker and spoke up. “It is our Persona.”

“Well said girl.” The soft voice floated over them. Harry stared at Lisa as jealousy spouted an ugly head for not being the fast to answer. But he still clapped for her with the rest of his year mates, some of them looking enviously toward her. Seeing their dark gazes, too, directed at the girl made Harry suddenly feel guilty for being envious of his fellow raven. They were going to be together for the next seven years and not respecting each other over stupid things could be pretty dumb, Harry thought, and who knows they might even end up being friends?

Metteo Blishwick, their seventh year prefect, looked pleasantly surprised to see a first year answer so quickly. “Well, Miss Turpin I am quite appalled with your quickness and wit. If you don’t mind, I could like to know how you figured it out so easily.”

Turpin looked flustered as her cheeks painted a soft pink but she still hold eye contact with the Head Prefect as she answered his curiosity. “The word ‘omnipresent’ and ‘envious’ stuck to me. It could not have been money because they are not a part of us but it is our created masks for ourselves. To appeal others we subconsciously prepare this mask to hide our imperfections. The mask is everything that we wanted ourselves to be but we are not, hence we are envious. Yet we always want it to hide behind when faced with unknowns. Therefore a Persona is created or formed to fulfill our wants that we envy yet are helplessly at its mercy.”

Harry’s eyes shone with awe and admiration as he raptly listened to Turpin’s explanation for her answer. The way she analyzed the few short lines to get an answer, befuddled Harry. It reminded him of the few times he had tried to read Einstein’s theories, from where he only understood bits and pieces but remembered reading about how he broke each piece of information to solve the puzzle of the entire universe. Turpin’s analytical reply made Harry aware of how much he has to read and understand about this new world and not just be bashful about it. 

“If I was Professor Goshawk, I could have surely gave you house points. Your critically thinking skill is amazing Miss Turpin.” Blishwick grinned at her.

Turpin slightly inclined her head, which Harry remembered as a sign of acceptance and gratitude along with a show of respect in Magical World. “Thank You for the compliment.” Blishwick, too, inclined his head before signaling them to follow him.

The interior of the Ravenclaw common room was beautiful even close to competing with the beauty of the Great Hall. The tomb like structure was bewitched, too, to view the sky. Now it was lighten with twinkling stars much the same as the Hall but Harry felt more nearer to the sky then he felt in the Hall. To the far left corner was the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and behind her were two doors leading to the seven boys and girls dormitories. A spiral staircase ran upward and touched the only floor above. The right side room was filled to the brim with books on small floating shelves. From where Harry was standing, he could see few more rooms upstairs and the whole first floor walls, expect for the left side where the doors were, was also filled with books and some instrument. There was a fireplace with few couches placed around it with a small table near it. The whole common room was elegant and aesthetically pleasing to look at with the color scheme as navy blue and silver with white placed tactfully with the former two colors. The brown of the staircase and the shelves gave a filling of home to the whole place. Harry’s inner artist was literally screaming towards him to capture all of what he was witnessing.

“Welcome to the coven of Ravenclaw. As you all are quite aware of us being known as the house of wits, it isn’t equivalent to being not brave or hard working or ambitious. Today you all have been chosen to come here and be a part of us because you value knowledge and know to respect those who are holding the knowledge you thirst for.” Clare Villin seemed to be reciting a script of what she had clearly learned by heart to say to them. Even though Harry didn’t feel impressed by it, he still listened. “From the moment you have been sorted here, you have sworn to represent us, the Ravenclaws, as someone versatile and not a product of the stereotypical thoughts about us.”

Clare turned towards a girl to her right, who nodded and stepped forward. Harry was now sure that the prefects have practice this to make it seem like some important meeting (which it probably was, Harry thought). “I am the sixth year prefect, Esther Pyrites. We have two prefects each starting from fifth year. Metteo Blishwick is the head boy along with the head girl being Fiona Tripe from the House of Ambition-the Slytherines. Slater Summerbee is the other sixth year prefect.” A dark blond hair boy smiled towards them from near one of the shelves. “All of you will be assigned a student from senior class to make you familiarize with the castle in the next two months. This year we have two muggleborns with us-Trivon Smith and Anna Hokkins. We welcome you to the Wizarding World.” Pyrites’ voice became neutral here as she introduced them. She quickly moved on, completely ignoring the two muggleborns who seemed to be slightly put out with her tone. Harry wondered why Pyrites had not mentioned anything about him being a halfblood or the fact that he was raised by muggles. Could it be that the Potter surname made everyone think he was a pureblood and was raised with pureblood customs? Not that Harry was going to disclose such a crucial detail about himself to all this unknown witches and wizards. Who knew what they might end up doing?

“Now as you see your dorms are divided into two. The first one is for the boys and the second one is for the girls. The first and second year students have to return to the dormitories immediately after dinner as curfew for you guys starts from 8:30 p.m. Here in the common room, we won’t force you to sleep as it is you who have to take care of yourselves and your health. Up the stairs to the next floor to the left are some rooms which have strong silencing wards around it which will help you study or read. Tomorrow morning you will get your schedule and also met your assigned partner for the two months. Now off you all go to your own ways and take rest because from tomorrow you all will forget about a leisure life.”

With that all the first year boys and girls part their way to go to their respective dorm room. Harry found it quite amusing how their dorm was at the end of the hallway as the room were numbered according to their year chronological with few other numbers etched on the wooden door. The room was quite the same design as the common room expect the lighting here was more dark. All the boys enter the room and found their trunk near their respective bed. Harry found his one to the extreme right, near the great glass window. He was thankful for having his bed near the window as he could see the night sky more closely. He sighed happily.

Looking around he saw Michael Corner, enter another door adjacent to Anthony’s bed to the left with few clothes. Harry assumed it to be the bathroom. He let himself fall down on the mattress which bounced a little under his weight. He heard some chuckle and lifting his head a little he saw Callus Urquart next to his bed.

The blue eyed boy smirked toward his direction. “Tired already?”

Harry hummed before letting his head fall to the bedding again. He was really feeling sleepy as fatigue from the entire day caught up to him. He closed his eyes and sighed down contently.

“You might want to change before you fall asleep.” Urquart spoke from somewhere above him. Harry nodded slowly and extended his right hand as if asking the other boy to pull him up. There was a movement above him and suddenly a warm hand grasped his hand, yanking him up from the bed. Harry squeaked from the sudden force, his eyes wide open-staring directly to the amused expression of Urquart. “You are really light weighted. Wow!”

Harry pulled himself free with a muttered ‘Sorry’ and walked to where he has kept his trunk. The entire room was silent before laughter arose across the parameter of the dorm. Harry jerked up his head to see all the five boys were howling-to his absolute confusion he didn’t understand what happened. Did he miss something funny? Why nobody thought to share it with him? It was making him feel alienated and he was going to rush toward the bathroom when a bony arm snaked around his shoulder and an extra weight slumped to his side. Harry swagged a little before he was able to straighten his back and looked at Terry Boot with bewilderment.

“Mate, you are funny! Don’t worry we will all obliviate ourselves of the squeaky moment between you and Urquart.” Harry flushed when he finally got why everyone was laughing. “I knew it the moment I was you that you were going to be funny in the dorm of studious people!” Boot exclaims.

“You now belong to the dorm of studious people Boot.” Harry said sarcastically. His red face cooling down and the strange urge to be snarky won over any sense of being respectful.

All the boys in the room started laughing again as Boot pouted and looked petulant. Harry smirked seeing this and twisted out of Boot’s hold. He smiled with triumph and mockingly bowed to Boot.

“Oh Harry! You are a devil in the body of an innocent mortal!” Anthony Goldstein said between his chuckles.

There were some sounds from inside the bathroom and suddenly a wet haired Michael Corner bursts into the room. “What did I miss?”

Harry smiled softly looking at his dorm mate’s mirth filled faces and thought, ‘Maybe friendship isn’t that faraway at all.’

_____________________

The next morning Harry was awake with the rising sun. He took a quick shower and got ready in his school uniform as his roommates slept. Last night he hadn’t stacked his school books in the supplied mini sized bookshelf near his bedside, unlike the others so he decided to do it now. Opening the trunk, Harry took out all the books and dumped them into the bed. Picking one after the other he started putting them in the shelf.

After half an hour, the green eyed boy was out of the dorm and in the common room. Curious that he was, Harry went near one of the many bookshelves and started to survey the titles that were nearer to his line of vision.

“Morning Potter!” Someone exclaimed from behind him. Harry twirled around to see Felix Hanstring smiling down at him. Harry returned the smile and greeted the older boy. “So Potter it seems you are to be stuck with me for the two months as I am your assigned mentor.”

Harry just stared trying to catch up with what Hanstring just told him. “That’s cool!” He exclaimed.

Felix chuckled at that. “Yes cool! Harry- is it ok to call you Harry?” On seeing him nod Felix continued. “Harry if you have any question or want help with anything you can without any hesitation ask me ‘kay?”

“Of course Felix.” Harry awkwardly said, not yet comfortable with acknowledging the other informally. “Um-the Ravenclaw common room has so many books, where do they get them from. Surely copying books from the library isn’t allowed and don’t you all visit the library? Because it seems that all required texts might as well be stuck here.”

“Whoa! Whoa! Relax little raven, not so fast. Now as for your previous question, the shelves here weren’t always filled to the brim with books. The numerous bookshelves here are actually stacked with books belonging to other students. Since we are studious and bookworms our bags and the mini sized one in our bedrooms just can't handle so much book so here in the common room we store them. It helps both the owner and sometimes some other student who want to need read. Books which others think might like to read are borrowed from the owners from these shelves. You can also give books when you want. I too have quite a number of books stacked here. But remember you can’t permanently take away books. There are some quite old wards and runes drawn near the shelves which detects if someone had stolen. And the owner could be furious if you know what I mean.” Felix ran his fingers over the book bindings on the shelf. “Library of the school for most of the part not visited by the Ravenclaws. That’s why people think we have mugged up various books before coming to school or that we all have eidetic or photogenic memory. But time to time we do visit the library because libraries always has that solemn atmosphere which just makes everything seem faded compared to it. Even the common room here can’t give you that.”

Felix smiled softly looking towards him and Harry subconsciously returned the smile. “I think I get that.”

_______________

Morning in Hogwarts’ Great Hall, Harry learned was a massive deal. Chatter between friends, clanking metallic sound and an unusual quickness in the actions of the older students. Some were more respectful of table manners while others just stuffed their face with food. There were quite a number of students who were actually sleeping on their plates.

Harry was sitting opposite of Felix as he satisfied his hungry stomach with breakfast when Callus Urquart comes near him and slide down to the empty stop next to him. Harry turned toward the black haired boy and greeted him. “Good Morning Urquart.”

“Morning Potter. Excited about today’s first class?”

Nodding his head Harry replied. “Very! Want to see what the older boys were whining about yesterday.”

Callus smirked at that and tilts his goblet toward the green eyed boy. Felix huffed out a short chuckle and shook his head. “Exactly my attitude two years ago when I was tiny like you but my spirit didn’t last even a week. But who knows, you guys might be able to endure the burden.”

“We will.” Michael announced as he sits down beside Callus. Navnna snorted, taking her seat beside Felix.

“I see you got Potter and here I am stuck with an overly petulant kid Michael Corner.” Said boy just smiled sheepishly. Navnna rolled her eyes before starting to eat her breakfast.

“Say how different was the curriculum before? All you said were an increased number of electives, nothing more, nothing less.” Callus inquired.

Felix looked toward him. “Your upper class partner is Alphard Cornfoot, right?” Callus nodded.”He will never rise before ten minutes to class mind you. Cornfoot is in his fourth year and still does not know anything about punctuality.” Felix shook his head whereas Navnna looked all the more amused. Callus; on the other hand, looeds disgusted which Harry didn’t understand. “Anyway, I am not here to bad talk about Cornfoot. So about the curriculum. You know when the Dark Lord took complete control over Magical Britain during the 80’s he solemnly focused on improving the barrier around all over Britain and parts of countries under him and strengthening the law front here.” That Harry knew from the Guide Book-‘Greatest Deeds of the Twentieth Century’. “Starting from there he started changing the curriculum of schools which interested him. Rumors had it that he was not all that invested in Hogwarts and what was taught but after two years he implemented the changes here. If you want, you can ask the seventh years as they were first years when the changes took place but I could warn you against it.”

Not able to resist himself Harry asked, “Then why even tell us to feed our curiosity from them?” 

Navnna suddenly choked on her drink and Harry frowned at her, concern evident. He was about to pat her from across the table when she raised her hand and rapidly shook her head; her curls bouncing with the movement. Laughter aroused from the girl, her shoulder shaking rapidly, Harry started worrying about her health. Maybe she had some sort of laughing problem, only prone to mages? Or did she break down under stress before term even started?

He was going to ask Felix when Navnna straightened her posture and huffed out. Small pearls of water were accumulated in the base of her eye line. She turned toward Felix and to Harry’s amusement he was pouting!

“Finally god blessed me with this boy here. Oh my god! I can’t without his sarcasm!” Then her amused gaze found his confused ones and she gave him a thumbs up (?) and winked at him. “Good Potter. I already like you. Keep him on a leash dipped with that dry humor of yours and then you and I are a group.”

Not sure what to say or do Harry nodded his head. “Sure.” Navnna seemed satisfied with his respond as she returned to her meal. Harry, confused as he always was, looked towards the other two first years only to find them whisper to each other. Not wanting to disturb them, he turned to his unfinished food. The table quite with the occasional chatter between the students.

When they were done with their breakfast, Professor Nymera Goshawk, Head of Ravenclaw and their Charms professor, walked up to the ten first year Ravenclaws and handed them their timetable and wished them a good luck before turning on her heels and trotted back to the staff table. After showing the paper to Felix, they were off to the route to Harry’s first lesson of the term-Herbology after retrieving the required books for the day’s class. With a promise to meet him after an hour Felix went on his way to the class of Defense with Professor Lowe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three weeks since Harry was in Hogwarts and he was relishing every moment of being here. Classes pretty much revolved around theories as the professors were trying to make them familiar with how the spells could trigger what they want. Transfiguration, Charms, Defense and Astronomy were Harry’s favorite.

(Harry was slowly getting a hang of how to incorporate both spell intonations and wand movements, though it still made him sweat)

Where transfiguration, charms and defense was all about seeing magical wonders, Astronomy was the complete opposite. It was fascinating how muggles and wizards studied about star movements and there effects were nearly same. Muggles recited science and myths whereas wizards confided them to a branch of divination. The universe truly had them wrapped around its fingers as it kept its secret close to itself. During this Harry had realized how much wizards and muggles were same in terms of discovering and unraveling mysteries. It was amusing, the thought of how wizards thought muggles were inferior to them where in contrary they were in same footing.

Language classes were Harry’s least favorite along with potions and Herbology. Don’t get him wrong, both the classes were amazing and Harry could confidently say you that he was mediocre at best. It was just he didn’t feel any sort of excitement with learning brewing and planting plants even if they were important. Moreover Professor Sprout’s low voice was difficult to catch amidst the chattering children whereas Professor Snape’s monotone voice made Harry lose his concentration which more than often had resulted to snide remarks in his direction. Language was taught by Professor Max and his teaching pattern was similar to the Room 39 ‘Oblivious’ Professor Ghost Binns. 

Harry still thought it was harsh of the school stuff to not inform the dead professor about his unofficial retirement. From what Felix told him, with the changes in the curriculum many teachers, too, were requested to leave their post. But no one informed Professor Binns about it and he continued coming to the class to teach even when the new History of Magic Professor Cormallan was present and teaching the class. Felix said Professor Cormallan was always agitated after that and could glare at anyone who would come near him; saying something about pride being scrubbed by a ghost which Harry didn’t understand. After about one year Professor Cormallan was determined to resign when a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governor suggested him to change History class room with another one. It was done and Binns unaware of such thing continued coming to the Room 39 and taught an empty classroom. According Felix it was Professor Cormallan’s third year teaching in Hogwarts and that Felix was blessed to be the spectator of such an amazing first year during his time.

Hearing the tale Harry had visited the room with Trivon. True to Felix’s words Binns entered the room at sharp 12’O clock and in a monotonous voice began speaking about goblin revolutions. Harry and Trivon had sat there for 15 minutes before the blond haired boy had decided to leave the class to which Harry had wholeheartedly agreed.

And oh god! Don’t get him started with the study of abomination-Divination. From the first day of the class till now Harry wasn’t sure if he understood anything remotely about reading tea leaves. Professor Trelawney was the most dramatic teacher Harry had ever met; with her spectacles that seemed to magnify her eyes and the various bangles she wore when greeting. The _jhang-jhang_ of her jewelries during classes was the worst kind of disturbance. The room where they had their divination class was filled with the cheap smell of incense sticks. And her need to be theatrical made her even deepen her shrill voice when she predicted someone’s near future misadventure or worse- _death_. 

Luckily or unluckily it seemed Harry was not gifted with sight. Luck because he didn’t have to be near Professor Trelawney after this year- _ever_ but unlucky because he wanted to know what a person with sight could do. When he had expressed his conflicting feelings to Felix and Edward, they had explained to him about the miniscule population who were gifted with the raw form of sight. Especially after the Grindelwald’s Warfare in the 1940s, the seer population had reduced tremendously. It was for this reason that Hogwarts was eager to teach students with even the slightest of sight some advance form. They needed the seer population back and for that new laws were passed from the Wizengamot.

Edward had confessed that he was a bit capable of reading tarot cards for which he was stuck with the Divination Professor forever. 

All the Ravenclaw his years were pretty good to be around. Anthony and Terry seemed to be the most laid back of them all and Harry enjoyed the times they studied together in one of the rooms in the Ravenclaw tower. Lisa along with Michael and Callus were always together, from the very beginning they had a pact to stick together. Although they were nice to talk to Harry just always felt left out, which might have been because of the fact that only Callus talked with him but the other two were always busy in their own talks or more than often forgot to involve Harry in their conversations. When he with them only one thing was prominent inside his mind and that was-Awkward. Padma, Wanda and Anna always seemed to stick together and they were the most scorn at students from what Harry could see. It had been over a month and Harry still did not understand the blood status business. To him it almost sounded childish, alienating someone just because they didn’t fit your stereotypical views. Even some of the political views made him confused but he didn’t dare ask anyone.

From all the students his year, Harry got along with Trivon. The blond boy was quick witted and easy going but had an aura of calmness around him. Harry always felt relaxed near him but spending much time with Trivon made his other year mates look at him with caution. Friday evening Harry was returning from library after borrowing a book-Magical Arts and their Legend by Gurpt Jones’, when he was confronted by Anthony on the way back. Anthony seemed to have been waiting for him in the empty hallway.

Upon seeing Harry, he smiled an uneasy smile, eyes flickering behind him, “Hello Harry.”

“Hey Anthony.” Harry greeted back. “What brings you here?”

“Oh I-I was going back to the dorms actually. Let’s go together?”

“Sure why not.”

With that they both fell into step, moving around a corner and barely dodging Peeves the poltergeist-who was throwing water balloons at some fourth year Gryffindor.

“How are you feeling coming to Hogwarts after so many years of wishing?” Anthony asked.

Harry looked at the tall boy before shrugging. “So far I like it. I can understand why the older students were so adamant about the burden of the timetable.”

Anthony nodded. “I know, right? Its bollocks! And we have to survive this antagonizing routine for the coming seven years.” They shared a laugh at that before falling into another silence, though this one seemed quiet uncomfortable to both the boys. Anthony was fiddling with his robe sleeves casting his eyes around nervously. “Um Harry here- here’s a thing…. Um you see you talking with Trivon Smith isn’t going to help you in a long run.”

Harry slowed down at that and turned toward the other boy with a frown etched on his mouth, “Whatever you mean Anthony?”

He sighed. “See Harry I am only going to say this one time. Trivon is a muggleborn and hanging with him is not going to do you any good. As your fellow house mate I am advising you to stop talking with him or else you people will shun you from your own house.”

Harry’s face was blank but his mind was running a mile. So the blood purity business got caught up to him. Harry won’t say he didn’t expect any confrontation from anyone for hanging out with Trivon but it hurt him because…because he had not thought that his own year mate could be the one to say all this to him first. It hurt him.

Whenever he was near Anthony and the others he had always thought of them as liberals who didn’t have anything to do with the pureblood thing. He had thought within the coming years all of them could become close friends, irrespective of their blood status. On the first few days here in Hogwarts Harry had contemplated that whatever he had seen and read about the Wizarding Society were off-limits from the magnificent Hogwarts. That blood supremacy was a thing only tight inside the Wizengamot while fighting politics. Not here. Not within eleven year old kids.

But standing here in the empty hall way, alone with Anthony, Harry was sure of one thing. Prejudices were deep rooted and to banish such things, the Wizarding World would need to _see_ that the narrowed vision was cheap and ridicule. But for now Harry had to talk out of it by himself because long roots of a big and ancient tree couldn’t be uprooted single handily within just a day.

He ran his hand through his knotted hair and sighed, shoulders slumping. “Why are you so steadfast to believe that because of Trivon I will be not accepted? It ain’t like I am playing minster and his cronies here.”

For a moment Anthony looked stunned before he composed himself and spoke again, “You are so naïve Harry. Born pureblood yet you think like those stupid Insurgents. It’s a pity really but I think what makes you different from us is your soft spoken nature and the naivety you carry yourself with. Don’t worry I think I can he-“

Harry couldn’t hear anymore. He felt his throat constricting painfully as he swallowed down a sob. His eyes prickled with tears and Harry had to blink a few times before he cleared his throat and all but shouted at Anthony. “You are not to tell me about whom I consider a suitable partner to hang around with. I can talk with blood traitors for all you can do. Trivon was stored in Ravenclaw because he is wise not because he is a muggleborn and the hat wanted to alienate him for that. And why you care about my image? It’s mine to build and mine to destroy and none of that should _affect you!”_

Anthony snarled at that. “Watch your mouth Potter. You maybe a pureblood heir but remember were you belong. I just wanted to warn you but if you like threading on thin strings then suit yourself. Don’t come crying to the dormitory when an upperclassman of any house decides to hex you.” With that he left Harry.

Harry stared at Anthony’s retreating form and could only shake his head. “Idiot.” He muttered before turning and speeding back to the library not in the mood to be confronted by anyone else, especially Callus or Trivon. And to cry out the sudden painful hollowness in his heart. He was stupid and his mouth was stupid.

~*~

When Harry had said about it to Felix, he had looked at him funnily. “Look Harry, I can understand your urge to befriend someone and you _can_ befriend anyone but-“He looked uncomfortable. “-be careful with how you present yourself to the public. People will not care about your friendship as long as you show them what they want and that is your respect to their beliefs.”

At that Harry made a disbelieving sound and began to protest. “Are you saying I hide my friendship with Trivon like he is a product of the crime I committed and should be shameful?”

Felix shook his head, “No Harry. What I mean is that keep your guards up and play safe. You are still a first year and creating enemies out of your potential allies and a source to gain knowledge is straight out stupidity. Even the Gryffindors will agree to me. Don’t let your impulse guide you.”

“But Felix! It’s same as saying I should hide and always dance to the tune _they_ play!”

At that Felix’s face hardened and he looked so alike Vernon when he was angry and was about to shout at Harry. The resemblance was so strikingly same that Harry flinched. “You shouldn’t go talking about all this controversial topics like they are child’s play, Harry. Think logically and then you start spouting those dangerous thoughts of yours to the public.”

Harry lips wobbled but he didn’t say anything. Just nodded his head and walked away from the common room.

After that Harry wasn’t confronted by anyone nor did the heavy tension between him and Felix dissipated even though the older boy had apologized. Every time Harry spent time with Trivon, he felt guilt clawing his throat. He didn’t feel comfortable saying it to the other boy. Anthony had altogether stopped interacting with him. Harry could see how Terry always seemed queasy when both Anthony and he were in the same room. And thus, Harry too stopped hanging out with anyone _but_ Trivon and Callus. The latter seemed nonchalant of the tension in their dormitory and continued like usual. 

Not even a month and Harry had already managed to cause an argument here. It made him wonder if he was a bad omen that brought darkness. It made him think about Zany and her small family which till the date made Harry feel guilty. Thinking about his first friend and perhaps to some extent they felt like a family made his inside twist painfully. He never could be able to stop feeling sorry.

Sighing at his forlorn thoughts, Harry casts his focus back on the book he was reading. He was near the Great Lake, sitting around its edge and feeling the warmth of sun cuddle his cold body. Even if it was late September, his body was cold because of sitting outside from early morning (around 5’O clock) but Harry liked it. Liked how his cold fingers felt around his cheeks and how the grass blades seem to tickle his bare feet. The early morning air was fresh. Warmth of the sun and the coolness of the air were like the taste of a cup of hot chocolate with honey during damp, rainy day cocooned inside a warm and cozy blanket.

The trees were lazily swagging with the gentle breeze. The rustling leaves sounded like a piece of exotic music with the occasional chirping of the birds. The atmosphere brought a feel of tranquility to Harry. He closed his book and tilted his head upward; leaning on his hands as he closed his eyes under his round wire rimmed glasses and basked under the sun’s radiant rays.

“Oh here you are.” A voice said somewhere from behind him. Harry opened his eyes and squinted at the figure hovering above him. The sun’s glaring presence annoying him for the first time. Harry sat up straighter and turned around to see Trivon.

“Hello Trivon.” He said in a crooked voice.

Trivon smiled, “Good Morning Harry!” And with that he plopped down beside him. “You are an early bird, aren’t you?”

He shrugged at that. “Well isn’t there a saying that goes by-Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealth and wise! So I am going to be wise _and_ wealthy.” He lets out a breathless chuckle.

Trivon gave him a bewildered stare. “You know _muggle phrase?_ ”

Harry shot him an incredulous stare. “Yeah, so?”

“Well you are a pureblood and you know _muggle_ sayings. How? I am pretty sure magical people hate anything muggles! Though I am not saying you are one of them.”

Understanding dawned Harry and he cast an uneasy glance towards Trivon. Biting his lips, he contemplated if he should say it. Only a few weeks in and would he unravel his secrets to Trivon? If he was to be asked a few weeks before, his answer could have been a straight ‘no’ but…… But now that he thought, Trivon had been genuine with spending time with him. Harry liked the time they spent together and at times how Trivon was there to help him. Maybe he could even understand the situation in which Harry found himself to be.

With this new resolve Harry spoke up, “Actually Trivon there is something I need to tell you. But first, please promise me you won’t say anything to anyone?” At that he brought his pinky forward.

Trivon looked confused but nonetheless connected their pinkies. “Promise.”

Smiling Harry spoke up though a sudden heaviness blanketed his entirety of being. “You see, I am… I am an orphan and was raised by muggles-“

“What?!” Trivon shrieked.

Harry nodded his head with a small smile tugging on his lips. “Yeah.” Harry halted as he gazed toward Trivon, his first new and close friend who looked shocked and excited and all the more of emotions flickered through his expression which Harry couldn’t name all. He was having this weird urge to just say it all but…but something was stopping him and Harry didn’t know what to make of it.

‘Y _ou don’t trust easily…’_ Whispered his mind phrasing it as the sorting hat had.

Harry closed his eyes but all he could see was the resigned faces of Zany and her children. _He had trusted then and he was plunged on his back with the sacrifice of his family._

Harry looked at Trivon, who was already staring at him with curiosity. Could he trust again? He had asked himself the same question just a moment ago and he had felt an odd rush of positivity at the prospect of sharing his memories with the boy sitting beside him. Yet here he was sitting and the warmth had dissipated and what was left of all was the heavy and cold feeling in his guts and the whispered words that his ears were now getting filled with.

‘ _If anything happens,_ you _are to be blamed…not him not anyone but_ you.’

Harry pinched the inside of his palm to _just_ come down. He didn’t want to become anxious of just a mere talk of how he knew a ‘muggle’ phrase. He took a long breath to just calm down.

“Are you alright Harry?” Trivon asked, his voice and gaze so, _so_ sincere that Harry just wanted to blurt out everything to Trivon.

But when he looked at the boy before him…all Harry could see was a boy cloaked in the blackest of black cloaks and Harry didn’t want to share anything with someone so dark, so hidden. It could make him vulnerable and he didn’t want that.

So he did the one thing he knew he could do in a situation as this. He lied. _Again._

He smiled with no mirth but an irony of how skilled he was at lying but the blonde boy didn’t seem to notice. He lookedat Trivon and spoke. “I was brought up in a muggle orphanage… I am an orphan. From everything I could remember is the bloomy structure of it. I was there from the start and-and…” Harry left like he was being choked. Even though he was telling a tale of fake but the emotions he poured into his words were with the remainder of the lies his aunt said him and of the moments he spent with his cats. (Emotions are such fragile things.)

“You know I am afraid of telling anyone about it because what if everyone abandons me before I even become a part of this new place? You know I am not saying anything against you all muggleborns-it is just my stupid self being self-conscious as never before was I able to make a friend so all of this makes me afraid of what is to come. I know this is all stupid-” Harry’s smiled wobbled with the effort to not cry. His friend stared at him for a long moment before surprising Harry by pulling him into a hug.

“Well you are here now Harry. You don’t have to think about those heavy topics. You now have me and you will find more of witches and wizards who will want to be your friend as someone who is quirky and fun to be around and not someone who is a muggle-raised wizard.” Trivon whispered in his ear. Harry hid his face on his friend’s shoulder blade and let out a sob, clutching to him for his dear life. He cried because of how he let loose his grasp of the only moment to be truthful and lied and how he deceived Trivon with such stupid lies. He didn’t deserve him-he didn’t deserve friends but yet again he couldn’t think of let going of Trivon and his soft nature. Harry was selfish and he didn’t think there was any cure of treating such an ugly disease such as this.

They stayed there, how long Harry had no idea but when at last he looked up at his friend’s face he felt light and happy like a dreadful weight has been lifted from his shoulder he had no idea he was bearing.

But it was not true. As light as he felt, he felt dread and guilt. Should he have said the truth could Trivon have hold him? _No,_ an immediate answer. _Maybe._ Harry could never know. He just smiled at Trivon, eyes wet and cheeks rosy with an ominous weight of guilt swirling inside of him.

“Thanks for hearing me out and not shunning me, Trivon.”

“Well friends are for that only, right?”

Hearing the word ‘friends’ Harry felt a different kind of warmth engulf him and coldness drowned his entire being (how was he able to feel both the guilt and happiness?). He smiled and nodded his head. Trivon carefully detached himself from Harry’s tight grip and stood up, extending his hand for Harry. “C’mon weekends doesn’t mean you don’t have to have breakfast.” He took Trivon’s hand and both the first years made their way back to the castle.

_______________________

The October heat was slowly giving its way to the cold wintery winds of November. The autumn leaves had all shaded down and now the trees were barren with icy grey tint to it and the lake was chilled steel. Every morning the grounds were covered with frost and the air a little heavier with cold moisture.

It had been a month since Harry told his secret to Trivon and to Harry it felt like the thread of their friendship had gotten stronger than before. They were more at ease now at each other’s presence. Joking and discussing about different theories they were learning. It was a blast having a friend, Harry had to admit. He was able to laugh freely and even give snide remarks without the thought to worry about offending Trivon. But there still was a part of him that whispered continuously a mantra of self-hatred. _‘Friends as you are not friends…they are Spawns of Satan himself.’_

One of the constant things now in Harry’s life was guilt, guilt _and_ guilt. It felt like now all Harry wore was a robe accentuated with guilt and shame and dread. It was horrifying.

But it all could lessen with time; he always tried to reason with himself every time he thought about it.

His relationship with Felix and Navnna was funny (after a serious talk with Felix, Harry once again was able to talk with him though he was cautious of putting his views forward now). They both were like the nonchalant cousins that Harry didn’t have and spending time with them was amusing to say the least. Both Felix and Navnna were most times seen arguing with each other than making a civil conversations and Edward, in Harry’s opinion looked like a mother hen trying to put her chicks in a line to follow her. He always looked frazzled as well as amused by seeing his friends childish bickering. The entertainment both Felix and Navnna gave made Harry feel less ashamed of wanting to see them fighting more every day. Maybe he was been a sadistic but to him in a dull routine of only reading and reading, seeing some colors when his friends fought gave him a reality check when he needed.

Currently he was on his way to the Great Hall for dinner, Trivon had asked Harry to go without him as he had a question to ask Professor Perks, their Astronomy teacher about the star alignment they were studying. The corridor of the fifth floor was quite deserted as students were milling into the Great Hall. There were a hundred and forty two staircases at Hogwarts-wide; narrow, sweeping ones which could lead you to a completely different part of the castle from what you earlier had a mind to go. Harry had found himself lost quite a few times during his venture in the castle.

“ _Wait till I make your life insufferable. Thinking I am a play thing?”_ He could hear a grumpy voice, moving farther away from him.

Without thinking, Harry sprinted towards the voice, listening to it with all his might, squinting to see inside the passing empty classroom as he rushed pass them. Round the hallway he stumbled to a halt, eyeing the object of his excitement. Without any warning he burst out in pearls of laughter, frightening the creature before him.

“ _What are you doing here?”_ She growled at him. Harry looks down at her in amusement before strolling up to her and knelling down. All the time the scrawny, wet and dust colored cat with bulging yellow eyes looked at him with suspicion. “ _Do you have a death wish?”_

_“No, not yet.”_ The cat perked up at that, eyeing him with a newfound curiosity, suspicion forgotten.

“ _You talk and can understand me?”_ Her voice was scratchy and shrill unlike Zany’s soft mellowing voice.

Harry hummed, “ _Yeah I can. Hello my name is Harry Potter. You are?”_ He extended his index finger which the cat smelled cautiously before stepping right in front of him.

“ _Everyone calls me Mrs. Norris. My caretaker named me after his dead sister.”_

_“Oh…. Well I will only call you… um-Norris. Is that okay with you?”_

Mrs. Norris tilted her head to the side as if she wanted to shrug. “ _No I don’t mind unless you stop visiting me now that I know someone can actually understand what I am saying.”_

Harry smiled at that. “ _Okay deal. Now could you tell me why you are in such a grumpy mood?”_

Norris huffed at that. _“Those two red-head nuisances always likes to play around. This time they managed to annoy the dancing human in the air and that clown, angry he was threw buckets of cold water at me! I still feel so cold! I am going to make them suffer by making them feel like they hadn’t done it.”_

Harry remembered hearing of two red head Gryffindor pranksters of the school with something of the name Gred and Forge. And from what he understood Peeves probably had been annoyed by the twins and he had taken his revenge on Mrs. Norris. She was truly dripping from head to toe. He glanced up and down the corridor to see if someone was there before he took out his wand and quickly casted a warming charm at Norris who suddenly started purring.

_“There now you are warm and dry.”_

Instead of answering, Norris started rubbing herself against Harry’s bended legs. Giggles bursts out from his lips and without a thought he patted her. Her purring increasing tenfold, the green eyed boy fondly smiled at her. It was after a few more minutes when Harry stood up and began dusting his robes, Norris following his every move curiously. _“Well I have to go now. It was nice talking with you but I am feeling hungry.”_

_“Okay I too have to patrol the next few floors. You go but don’t forget to visit me.”_

_“Of course. We will always meet in the hallways while passing but I promise that I will seek you out next time with some fish or mice.”_

With that Harry turned to leave but he still heard Norris’s scratchy voice, “ _That time better be soon.”_

____________________

It was moderately cold in the dark room but it still had a chilling feeling to it to those who were new here. But everyone sitting was of elite group and not some novice. The flickering light of the torches gave an ominous feel to it which made Sirius roll his eyes inwardly. So much fuss to make the room appear like a mysterious hideout of some evil spirit. This was true considering the fact that their Lord was not someone good and pure like the light.

Said man was sitting in the head of the table with his familial wrapped around his shoulder like some heavy dark robe. The Dark Lord was absently stroking the snake scales while listening to Greengrass informing him of the recent bill that was passed in the Wizengamot this week. Sirius stifled a yawn as he casted his sleepy gaze around the table. Malfoy and Yaxley were busy noting down everything they could about whatever it was they were jotting down. Bellatrix was all but shamelessly staring at their Lord like he was the best thing in this entire room filled with rascals. And the rest…seemed as sleepy as Sirius was feeling.

He wanted to go home and play with his two sons while chatting with Hestia about anything and everything. He was bored and home seemed to be the most welcoming place now, instead of this crammed up room full of idiotic people.

Sirius once again glanced towards their Lord and was yet again remained of the man’s power before him. Though his Lord seemed like a harmless man (minus the snake) of twenty eight hearing a report and bored out of his mind, the Dark Lord was someone more superior and great.

He was man of great wisdom and power. It was also a known fact that their Lord was an immortal being. How he was able to obtain such a feat was a question no one dared to ask and know the answer to. The Dark Lord was impossibly handsome and charming which at times made it hard, even for Sirius, to know what this man before them had done and who he was.

The Dark Lord of the Wizarding Society and the only able person who had successfully defeated Death himself…single handedly.

Sirius couldn’t say he was proud of the deeds he had done to reach where he was today but he could proudly say that he was able to join the Inner Circle of the Dark Lord without the privileged pureblood crown _but_ with his own raw magical strength. It was because of this that Sirius was able to live a life of a happy man with a small family.

Sirius was brought out of his stupor when Amacus Carrow suddenly stood up and bowed to their Lord.

The Dark Lord nodded his head before motioning Amacus to begin with his report. Sirius ever so slightly slumped on his chair.

“M’Lord the deal has been successfully set up between us.”

The Dark Lord cocked his head to the side in interest.

“Even if it took us nearly a year to make France agree with, we finally did it.” Amacus continued; a hint of excitement in his voice. “If our predictions are correct then the legendary Triwizard Tournament will commence next year and will become a daily affair if it regains its popularity which we can assure you it will. Just a few more adjustment and the Tournament tasks will be discussed and a thorough planning will take place. Bulgaria, France and Britain’s Sports Analytic Team will meet up after two weeks to consider their choices for the grand event.”

The Dark Lord simply nodded his head and Amacus sat down, a bit dejected to have not received any praises. The meeting carried on but Sirius was sure that like most of them their Lord was excited about the reopening of the Triwizard Tournament for the first time after so many years. His ideal strokes on Nagini’s scale were enough of a proof to say that their Lord, too, was thinking about the exciting news.

Even when it was his turn to report his meeting with Italy’s Magical Minister, Sirius could hardly breathe because of the excitement of all. Even if his mouth said one thing, his mind was rushing with one singular thing.

He could be viewing the Legendary Tournament of all-the Triwizard Tournament of which he had heard many praises and many curses. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~


	7. Chapter 7

As the school year proceeded, the workload increased tremendously. Mock tests after mock tests and homeworks. It was truly maddening for Harry who had never been forced to study so much even with the Dursleys. They didn’t accept anything from him and didn’t care about his education but here, in the Wizarding World Harry wanted to prove that even if he was a muggle raised halfblood, he was as capable as any other pureblood.

The supreme complexity between wizards befuddled Harry. If he could say it to anyone, Harry felt that racism in muggle world and blood purism in Wizarding world was two of the most stupid things to exist.

He remembers how the Gryffindor girl, Hermione Granger was blatantly ignored by most of the Professors expect for Professor Sprout and McGonagall. When questions were asked and no one expect for her knew the answer, all the teachers turned a blind eye on her but when a pureblood child was able to answer, all the muggleborns were sneered at. Harry always felt bad for Granger; he saw how gradually the Gryffindor turned from an enthusiastic and eager-to-answer girl turned to a withdrawn and quiet girl just in the span of three months. It was crude how the prejudice and stereotypical views were affecting the muggleborns.

This unseen division between the purebloods, halfbloods and the muggleborns were a cluster of unnecessary differentiated views that each of the groups had. At least that was what Harry drew from the small skeptical conservations he had come across.

It was nearing the holidays of Christmas and everyone in the castle was buzzing with the excitement for the coming holidays. On the hallways Harry had caught Draco Malfoy bragging about some ball been hosted by their family to some of the other students who were eagerly hearing it. The common room of Ravenclaw which always had a light and quite atmosphere was gradually but surely felt thick with excitement and queasiness as all the students, even the usual stoic faced fifth and seventh year looked alive. Everyone was talking about the winter holidays and their plans of visiting places or doing fun activities. Even inside the dorms Harry’s year mates were awake till passed midnights, sharing their stories of how they celebrated the Yule. It seemed only Harry and Trivon agreed in keeping their stories of Yule with themselves.

The enthusiasms of all the students were amplified when the start of the Quidditch season was announced to start from after the winter holidays. It made everyone jittery with nervous nature, especially the Quidditch team captains. 

Hogwarts found itself covered in layers and layers of snow. Everything was white and cold. Summer robes gave way to heavy winter robes with faces and hands hidden inside warm pairs of scarves and gloves. Everyone had red noses and pink ears. Even the inside of the massive castle was cold with biting wind. Worst of all the classes they had to do were the Potions down in the dungeons with Professor Snape and Astronomy during the foggy nights as Professor Perks breathed down their necks.

“Erhm….. Professor McGonagall has asked for your presence in her office room.” A fourth year Gryffindor said. 

Harry was in the library, doing his defense homework, writing a six feet long essay about banshee and their natural habitat and how to tame them. The library was quiet with the occasional shrill voice of their librarian Pince scolding other students. It was nearing dinner and Harry was nowhere near completing the essay. He could probably take the work to the common room and complete it there but he wasn’t so sure about that.

Earlier the evening when he had was going upstairs to find an empty room, he was out of luck. Every one of the room were filled with students of different year. He was even able to spot Lisa Turpin’s sleek long hair and Michael’s unruly brown hair within the crowded room. Resigned with the fact that entry was near impossible, he had went to the library.

Harry looked up from his essay and gave the older girl a nod before packing all his parchments and textbook and quills. He got up, swung his bag over his shoulder and went up to follow the girl.

“Do you know why Professor wants to meet me?” Harry asked the moment they were out in the corridor.

The older girl seemed to hesitate but after a moment, she answered, “She wants to discuss about your living arrangements over the summer for the next seven years you are here. Don’t know why you will live in an apartment when you aren’t even a muggleborn. Got any ideas?” The girl looked curious as she asked him the question.

Harry’s eyes widen when he realizes what they were going to discuss. Haven’t Aunt Petunia said something about not going back ever to Privet Drive? This has to be about that. Nobody at Hogwarts seemed to know about his upbringing which was in the muggle world, not even the teachers from what Harry had gathered.

He nervously tugged his robe sleeves and gave a smile to the girl, which came out more like a grimace. Mind racing of what he wanted to answer, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt to the excuse he had given Leo all those months ago in Funky Alley. He was about to answer when they came to a stop near a portrait of a dancing couple.

“Waltz.” The girl spoke with a disgusted look on her face. The couple in the portrait flashed them a charming smile before a hole appeared in the wall. Harry heard the girl mutter, ‘Bloody portraits gone wanker and giving stupid words.’ Deciding it was best to ignore her remark, Harry focused on thanking his lucky star for saving him from answering the inquisitive question the girl had asked. The girl gave him a curt nod which he returned before entering the room.

The room was styled fairly simple; most of the space was occupied by small, dainty wooden chairs and a large office desk behind which Professor McGonagall was sitting. All the twelve students were muggleborn and were all first years. Harry spotted Trivon in the back, sitting with Anna Hokkins, another Ravenclaw and made his way to him, ignoring the confused looks he was getting. 

“Hey.”

Trivon smiled up at him. “Hello to you too Harry.” He leaned over to Harry. “Got any idea why we are been called today?”

Harry shrugged, “Maybe. The Gryffindor girl who brought me here actually said we are here to discuss our living arrangements for the rest of the time we are here.”

For a split second Harry thought he saw Trivon’s face darken but later shrugged it off as the flickering lights that were casting shadows over his face. “Oh.”

He hummed and opened his mouth to say something when Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. The chatters subsided and McGonagall stood up from her chair. With a flick of her wand, thirteen keys flied out from behind the desk and landed on their laps.

Harry picked up the key and examined it. The key was just like his vault key-which was safely kept inside his enchanted trunk- golden patterns woven it entirely and a small 34 was carved in its bottom. A silvery thread tied itself to his ring finger when he graced the number, which was coming from the key before it settled down. Harry looked around to see everyone had the thread; some where fading away while others were shinning.

A moment later Professor McGonagall spoke. “Now that the magic is settled I want explain a few things to you all. These keys are for your new apartment rooms where you will settle down this Christmas and start living coming summer break. The apartments are spread across the Hogsmeade village. You will have your own living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. You need not worry about using the provided kitchens every time because Hogwarts elves will be there when they are needed by you. Your requirements will be provided to our best of capabilities. The thread of magic that you saw now is a kind of permanent security measure so that no one can steal it or if it is lost, the key will reappear in your robe pocket that you will be wearing at the time.” A pause. “We will escort you to Hogsmeade after the break starts and then you can get comfortable in your new home. You can after that return to the castle whenever you feel suitable but that doesn’t mean you will enter in the last minute the day before classes resumes again.”

_____________________

Harry had always found solace when near his small canvas and painting supply. The intoxicating smell of paint and the soft gliding of brushes over the white sheets always gave him serenity when the chaos in his mind was too overwhelming. It was like a safe haven for him to reside in after the day ends, even if he had company of someone who was his own friend.

It was a week to Christmas holiday’s beginning and Harry was feeling restless and his quiet nights were once again, after many months, becoming the house of chaos; a dark looming weight just there for him to notice.

In the beginning Harry had thought that the all consuming guilt of deceiving his friend was what making him so restless and itchy but as the days passed by all he could conclude for his anxious behavior was his lack of sleep or the sudden onslaught of nightmares. Or maybe it was both the guilt and something less that he couldn’t pinpoint. (Harry had no idea)

It made him frustrated and stole his sleep, purple bags under his eyes evident as days passed by. When he closed his eyes all he saw was blue darkness with blotches of white and when he opened his eyes, there was this weird pressure and an urge to claw out his prickling eyes.

Harry was clueless of what was happening to him and it irritated him so much so that he even snapped at Trivon when asked what was wrong with him. He felt guilty doing so but the grating itch and the constant headaches refrained him from apologizing as he feared he might do worse than give snarky remarks.

With his satchel tugged firmly to his side, he exited the Ravenclaw tower, the entire Hogwarts population still asleep as it was a Sunday. It was quite early in the morning with the sun still hidden within the heavy mist. The air was cold, too cold to breathe in and Harry wrapped his scarf more firmly around his neck, nose hidden among the many folds of the long woolen piece of cloth. He descended few stairs and took the narrow, rickety stairs which he knew led to the fourth floor, his legs taking long strides to save him time and quickly found a corridor which led to the only abandoned classroom in that floor.

_“What are you doing here, early in the morning?”_

Startled Harry gave out an embarrassing high pitched scream before swiftly taking out his wand and twirling around. Norris was casually standing a few feet away, her head tilted and tail flickering like a snake’s tongue. Heaving out, he pocketed his wand and went near the cat before knelling down. “ _You scared me.”_

_“Really? Well I will tell you the truth-you screamed like the flying clown when he sees the green house’s cold white man.”_

Harry made an affronted sound in the back of his throat. “’ _M not. You **scared** me! Don’t do that and I won’t shriek like Peeves.”_

Norris stared at him. “ _I will think about that. Anyway what are you doing here, so early in the morning?_ _You didn’t say.”_

A sigh. _“I was going to the abandoned classroom in this floor.”_

_“Why?”_

He ran a hand through his already messy hair. _“Can’t sleep and I want to paint as it helps me relieve me stress.”_

_“Why not do it in your house room?”_

_“Because nobody knows that I like to draw-”_ His thoughts wandered to Trivon. Harry had not said his friend about his hobby because he was self-conscious. To him his paintings were the gateway to his soul and he didn’t feel quite right with showing Trivon such an important part of him. To Harry it felt like he would be bearing his soul to someone without any protection around it.

Not even an ounce of trust and Harry went around thinking of Trivon as his best friend. His inside tingled with the same feeling of- _shameliestraitorliar_. It was like Harry’s whole being chorused those feelings with horrible and mournful tones. But Harry was selfish and he couldn’t think of letting go of Trivon and left behind alone.

Maybe he could speak the truth after he came in terms with being left alone but for now he wanted to soak in the warmth of having someone.

Harry shook his head to rid himself of the forlorn thoughts.

“- _And I don’t want anyone to know about it. Yet.”_

If Norris found it suspicious how Harry’s scent soured a little, she didn’t comment on that and instead she nudged Harry to pet her which Harry did wholeheartedly. He scratched her and laughed out loudly when Norris began to purr, she moved closer to him and attempted to climb on his lap but her attempts where fruitless as Harry stood up. She made a protesting noise and looked at the boy with wide eyes. “ _I could have been happy to have a lapful of you but as I said I want to go to the classroom and just…. paint. So I think I have to go now. Moreover aren’t classrooms enchanted against allowing animals entry unless they have permission? ”_

Norris narrowed her eyes. “ _You could let me sleep on your lap if you could be able to even if you were painting?”_

_“Umm… Yes of course, why not.”_

_“Then follow me I know a nicer place where both our needs will be fulfilled.”_

Confused but a little intrigued Harry started following the shabby cat down the stairs and corridors until they stopped near the portrait of the Ballad Lady. Unsure of what to do he looked down at her.

_“Hug it.”_

Appalled Harry squeaked, “ _What?!_ ”

_“Just hug it already!”_ The cat snapped at him.

Harry eyed the portrait where the lady was sleeping with keen eyes as if trying to find something hidden there. He moved up to the painting and spreading his hands leaning against it. It was silent for the moment as nothing happened and Harry was going to ask Norris if she was making fun of him when the lady in the portrait shrieked right in his ears and everything turned white. Air whooshed from everywhere and suddenly Harry fell on a hard surface. A sickening sound of breaking of bones resonated the silence. Harry winced and groaned as he stood up on his wobbly feet.

_“Are you okay?”_ Norris’s worried voice reached Harry’s ringing ears.

“ _Do I look okay?!”_ He asked in an irritation. Norris did not move and continued staring at him. He sighed again. “ _I think I broke my chin and it is paining.”_

_“Want to go to the mending woman?”_

_“No-no I got this. Felix, I mean one of the other older student, taught me one healing spell and I can somewhat use it. I could go and see Madame Pomfery later, for now I just want to draw.”_ He took out his wand and muttered the spell, ‘Episkey.’ His chin stung a little and the weird tinkling sensation made him scrunch his nose. He turned toward the cat. “ _You could have warned me about how the wall disappears after we hug it.”_

Norris gave him an unimpressed look. “ _You are even dumber than my caretaker Filch. What did you accept? The wall to hug you back?”_

Harry pouted at that, opening his mouth to retort when Norris just sighed and started walking. Harry looked up and his jaw dropped. It felt like they were in a different dimension altogether. He was in some sort of garden and it looked like the spring never perished here. Flowers were blooming everywhere and the subtle smell of honeydukes mixing with chamomile and roses made him like he was in a heaven. Small shrubs and a couple of trees aligned with few white benches and a medium sized fountain in the corner with sparkling water made the entire garden picturesque.

“ _What is this place?”_ He whispered.

Norris looked back at him. “ _Donnu for sure but some call it the Hufflepuff Garden. Says she used to come here to spend time and look at the entirety of the grounds.”_

_“How come you know of this place?”_

“ _Few years ago I was patrolling this area and saw this girl. She was weirdly hugging the painting and I was feeling curious of what she was doing so I came near her. The wall suddenly disappeared and she went in and I followed her. For a few years I came here with that girl but then she left the school and I couldn’t come here again.”_ Came the abrupt answer.

Harry nodded, still awe-struck with the new surroundings. He slowly moved forward, his neck craning as he looked everywhere. He came to a halt near a stone balcony which wasn’t obvious to naked eyes as it seemed like bushes and creepers were grown strategically to look like a small bushy barrier. He leaned against it to see the Hogwarts ground which was veiled with thinning white mist, sharp rays of the sun cutting through the curtain and glinting over the Black Lake. Distinctively Harry heard the chirping voice of songbirds. His face spilt up in a wide grin and he rushed past Norris, who was basking in the warmth of the garden, to one of the marvel stone benches. His hand fumbled as he took out his painting tools and a canvas from his bag.(The bag had expansion charms to it)

It was the warmth of the garden and the pleasant chirps of the birds made it a perfect environment for Harry to let his hands and mind cooperatively work together. As he stared at the empty sheet, all he could think about the night he got his first gleams of Hogwarts. The midnight blue with the twinkling stars giving an awe-striking view to the proud enthralling castle. It was a memory Harry could never be able to forget, in his opinion. With the picture of Hogwarts in his mind, he let his hand twirl and stroke and smothers the canvas as if his hand was dancing to some tune known only to them. At some point Norris had leapt on the bench and was resting on his lap quite cozily. 

It was relaxing in a way for Harry. His mind cleared from the haze that surrounded him for quite some time and he felt well rested and in peace. By the time he rested his brushes back in the case, the fog was cleared and the white grounds of Hogwarts were visible to him. Quickly casting the drying spell on the canvas, he lifted it to put it inside his bag.

_“Your painting is quite different than the other Hogwarts ones.”_ Harry shot the feline a questioning look. Seeing his furrowed brows she explained. “ _I mean the things inside those frames talk and move around but your one is still. Nothing is moving.”_

Harry smiled as he understood what Norris was implying. “ _Well I know only to draw still art but someday I may try to make paintings that Hogwarts have… and the first one to know will be you.”_

Norris leaned in to rub her face against Harry’s chest with a pleased hum before she stood up and stretched her body with a loud yawn. Harry laughed seeing it but he quieted down when the cat gave him a glare. He just grinned and petted her head as he himself stood up to go back to the Ravenclaw tower.

_“Thank you for showing me this place. I will make sure to come back here with you after Christmas break.”_

_“Okay.”_

________________

“Mind if I take the seat here?”

Startled Harry looked up to see Theodor Nott standing before his desk. He looked over his shoulder around the class and back at the boy before him, still not speaking. After a while Theodor cleared his throat and Harry blushed before nodding in affirmation, head bowed down.

Theodor sat down beside him and began retrieving his charms book and all the other necessary requirements.

They were having their Charms classes with the Slytherins and Harry had originally planned on sitting with Trivon but the blonde boy had wanted to seat in the front row today and Harry had straight out rejected sitting up front because it always made him uneasy, sitting near the teachers prying eyes and he had said as much.

But Trivon just shook his head and went along with Anna Hokkins and had sat down, shoulders tensed. Harry had just sighed and taken his usual seat at the faraway corner.

“Could you pass me some parchments? Mine are finished.”

Harry jerked his head up and nodded furiously before handing out all the parchments that he had. Theodore arched both his brows, surprised and Harry feeling embarrassed and a tad bit scandalized by his scoundrel behavior that he dug his head and squealed out. “Sorry!”

Theodore looked amused by his quirks and waved off Harry’s apologizes. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

Harry heaved an out breathe and straightened up. “Uh-I…Did you fight with your friend?”

Theodore looked shocked for a moment. “Um-No…why could you ask?”

Licking his chapped lips, Harry said, “I didn’t mean to offend you!… Bu-but don’t you usually sit with Zabini?”

“Oh. Well, it was nothing just a discussion on topic where we had our clashes of thoughts.” He shrugged, his face blank.

Harry shrank back on his seat, feeling like he had somehow offended the boy before him. “I-I am sorry…uh-I shouldn’t have asked.”

Theodore looked quizzical and stunned. “Why are you apologizing? It was just a stupid thing over which we fought.”

“No-I-uh…I mean…um-” Harry trailed off, looking down on his book.

“Well don’t say sorry…nothing that you did wrong or said wrong. Just out of your curiosity you asked and humans are always curious about various things. So no bad feelings here.”

Harry hummed in affirmation. “Yeah and ah-thanks.”

Before Theodore could speak Professor Goshawk strode up to the front of the classroom and spoke up loudly. “Everyone please deposit your assignment work on Magical Core which was given to you last week and those of who didn’t complete it-”Her eyes scanned the room. “-will report to me after class ends.”

Everyone began to scramble onto their feet, moving forward to place the parchments on the front desk and as Harry scurried to get up he saw Theodore pass a chit to him and upon seeing his gaze on him, the Slytherin boy winked at him and mouthed-

_‘Open it after class.’_

When Harry was retrieving his Charms book that night in the Ravenclaw Tower, the chit fell from his book on the ground. He picked it up-having completely forgotten about the paper from the day’s rush. He sat down on his bed and opened the crumbled up piece of parchment.

_‘Let’s meet up again in the Library tomorrow after classes. I feel like you could become a great companion to discuss and debate about various topics that interests us both_

_-T.N.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peace Out!  
> Until Next Time~

**Author's Note:**

> Peace out!  
> Until next time~


End file.
